


Revenge

by dragonchallenge



Series: The Hunger Games Retelling [1]
Category: The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Major Character Injury, Romance, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Tragic Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-01-22 06:05:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 372,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12475120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonchallenge/pseuds/dragonchallenge
Summary: Aspen lives in District 12, but she may as well never have. It isn't their skills that she possesses. Instead, she is the perfect District 2 girl. Tough inside and out, skilled with most weapons, and ready for the Reaping - physically that is. However, there is one thing that makes her different. The Games are not in her plans. She hates the Games. And she has more reason than most.





	1. Chapter 1

A sharp scream tore through the near-silent morning air as I pulled on my worn and tired boots. I'd been up for hours but I had figured that most other people weren't awake yet. They were trying to shake off the fear of what was to come in just a matter of hours. Shaking my head with the tiniest of smirks - as I had been betting on this and already had a plan laid out - I rose to my feet and sprinted out the door of my tiny home. Not that I exactly had too far to go.

My house wasn't much. It was a one bedroom - one room really - house. There was only a small counter that I used as a kitchen and a lumpy bed that was a bit smaller than me. The only area of privacy that I had inside was a small bathroom with a door that was about to fall off of the hinges. The only nice thing that I owned was a dark wood cabinet that Katniss Everdeen, my neighbor and best friend, had donated to me when we were younger. It was the only thing that I treasured in the house. That and a few things that my parents had left me. But they were long gone and it made no difference now.

Pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I burst through the door of the Everdeen house and smiled at the mess. Clearly Katniss hadn't gotten up to clean lately. Ms. Everdeen glanced up from her cooking and I noticed that there were dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't been sleeping well. I gave her a quick hello as I made my way to the back of the house. The screaming had stopped right after I had left my home but I knew that the tears would still be going. Walking through the archway that led to Primrose Everdeen's bedroom I saw that the younger girl was in tears, buried in her sister's arms.

Even though Prim was a pretty brave kid I had figured that she would be woken the same way that most twelve-year-old kids woke on this day. Reaping Day. It was the same way that I had woken on this day six years ago. It was a day that haunted most kids all year round. But we had to do our best to forget about it and continue like normal. Katniss nodded me over to the bed and I made my way across the room, dropping onto the bed with Prim. She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes and I did my best to give her a smile. But this wasn't exactly a very happy day for me. For anyone, I supposed.

"Hey, bug," I told the younger Everdeen, who looked up at me with a small smile.

"Hi," she whispered weakly.

"Listen sweetie, your name is in there once. They aren't gonna pick you, okay?"

The younger girl nodded at me and I gave her a brief smile before standing up. As I began to walk out of the room, I felt a hand on my shoulder stop me. "But what if they do?" she asked in a meek voice.

The whole idea of the Reaping and Hunger Games had always driven Prim out of her mind with worry. I wished that it didn't. I wished that she still had another year to not worry about it. I had to fight to keep the smile on my face as I looked over at Katniss. She shook her head at me and I sighed. I knew that this one was on me. Katniss had tried enough times to calm Prim down over the past few weeks. Nothing really worked. Walking back over to Prim, I smiled at the younger girl again and leaned over the bed.

"Your name is in there once, Prim. That's like one out of twenty thousand slips. The odds are in your favor kiddo," I promised her.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm pretty good at math. I'd say that I'm close to being right."

"What if you aren't?" Prim asked.

"I'll tell you what. If you get Reaped, I'll step forward and take your place."

The moment I offered I knew that it was the wrong thing to say. I stood up from the bed when there was a sharp shriek. Prim came running after me. "You can't do that!" she yelled.

I smiled at her and shook my head. "Now why not? Better me than you, right?" I asked.

"Aspen -" Katniss started to warn.

"Well, since your name is only in there once and you won't get Reaped, it looks like there isn't anything to worry about, right?" I asked, speaking over Katniss.

Prim nodded and I gave her a small pat on the back. "You'll be safe, right?" Prim asked.

"Of course. We have an understanding?" I asked her.

"Yes," Prim muttered.

"Good! Go back to bed. May as well get all the sleep that you can."

Prim turned around and headed back to bed. I watched her go, spotting the dark glare I was getting from Katniss. I knew that she would be mad at me for acting the way that I did with Prim. At least I had gotten her to calm down. We had both feared that it would be a nightmare this morning for the past few months. Prim was a sweet kid and she was brave enough when we needed her to be, but she was still rather soft about things. Particularly the Games.

Turning from Katniss's glare before she could drill a hole in my back I walked out of the room and out of the house, only stopping to tell Ms. Everdeen I would be back later. Heading straight for the woods, I let my mind wander. As I walked past the Square I shook my head at the stages and speakers that were being set up. Everyone was still in their homes, trying to ignore what was about to happen. The entire thing was horrible. Everything that these people did just for these two weeks or so that the Games surrounded.

The Hunger Games. Born of thirteen Districts rising up against their neglectful Capitol. It turned out that after the war twelve were defeated, and one was obliterated. It left Districts 1 through 12 at the hands of the Capitol with District 13 reduced to nothing more than rubble. The Capitol then decided that they would instate the one competition that no one could have been anticipating. They claimed that it was in reminder of rising up against their so-called caring Capitol and ruining what they had thought was a good enough thing.

The ultimate punishment was that once a year one young man and one young woman between the ages of twelve and eighteen would be Reaped from a random selection from each District. These young people would be called Tributes and these Tributes would be briefly trained in combat and survival skills before they were sent into an arena. There the Tributes would fight to death until there was one person left standing. That person would be gifted with riches and so would their District for the next year, until the next Games rolled around. It left twenty-three innocent kids dead every year.

Eighteen. I was finally eighteen this year. It meant that it would be my last year that I would actually be eligible to go into the Games. I had actually turned eighteen during last year's Games. It had been on the day that the new Victor had won. It had been a girl from District 11, much to the surprise of the Capitol. My birthday hadn't been much of a celebration that day. I'd known the boy that had died from District 12. This year I would also have my birthday during the Games. Just like every other year. I would be nineteen and I would never have to deal with these Games again.

Although I had told Prim that there was nothing to be worried about, I was smart enough to know that the odds were not in my favor this year. Being in the state that I was in I had to take out Tessera. It was the only way that I could completely manage to support myself without having to rely on Katniss and her family. Tessera was a small portion of grain and oil spread out over the year. Just like I did every year, I took out as much Tessera as I could. There was no limit on how much we could take. I lived on my own and it was hard for me to make ends meet.

The only way that I didn't starve was hunting. But it was illegal and sometimes hard to manage to get out into the woods. This year, as the slips from Tessera were cumulative, my name was in the Reaping Ball one hundred and twenty three times. It wasn't odd for people in their last years to have their names on numerous slips. That was why the Tributes were normally on the older spectrum. But there were always the younger ones too. The twelve-year-old kids that made people wonder why these Games existed. Why was it fair to punish us for something that our ancestors did? It wasn't. That was just how it worked.

Sick of the depressing and angering thoughts I shook my head clear as I climbed under the fence that separated District 12 from the woods. The fence was supposed to be electric but it was rarely turned on, making it easy for me to get out into the woods. We barely ever actually had electricity in District 12. It turned out to mostly work in my favor. Carefully running through the woods, I smiled at the feeling of real freedom. Out here it was like there was no way that anyone could get to me. Out here I was carefree and alone. I was happy.

Of course that happiness had to end when I heard a very familiar voice tear through the air. "Aspen Antaeus!" the voice cried.

My feet automatically halted from my previous near dead-sprint. I skidded against the leaves underneath my feet and nearly went crashing down the steep incline to the hill that I was running on. I cringed at the use of my full name and slowly turned to the owner. It was Katniss. Naturally she was yelling at me. We seemed to yell more than we actually spoke to each other. I loved the girl to death and she loved me too, but we were always fighting. Nothing serious, mostly just silly bickering.

This time it was most likely about what I had said to Prim earlier. I wouldn't take it back though, I had meant what I had said. Katniss was only sixteen this year. There would be people in the Games that were far more trained than her. And the Gamemakers didn't put in a bow and arrow every year. That was the weapon that she was the most proficient with. They had to see a pretty talented tribute with a bow and an arrow before they would be willing to put one in. A bow and arrow was no fun. They wanted to see the close-up action of a knife fight. Those were bloodier and far more fun to watch.

As the younger girl moved towards me, I smiled. "Katniss Everdeen!" I yelled back mockingly.

The look on her face told me that this time I wasn't getting out of her scolding with humor. "Don't be an ass," Katniss snapped.

"I hope you don't speak to Prim like that," I teased.

"Aspen!"

"What? Come on, I didn't even do anything this time!" I yelled back at Katniss, who was stomping up to me.

The younger girl marched up and towered over me. Although I was older by almost three years, Katniss had always been taller than me. Hell, the girl stood at five foot nine. Me on the other hand, I barely topped off at five feet. Everyone that had known my parents always said that I looked just like them. I had never really known them though. I just had some pictures. If it weren't for the small photo album I had of them, I would have no idea what they even looked like. There was one way but I wasn't turning to that.

Giving Katniss a lopsided smile, she ignored me and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. "What was that about Aspen?" Katniss howled.

She had always tried to use her height against me. She thought that it would make me angry or afraid of her. She didn't realize that my lower height actually just gave me a shorter tolerance. And I was getting to my wits end with Katniss. I had tried to make things better with Prim and I had succeeded. So I rolled my eyes. I could either be nice and apologize for whatever it was that I had done wrong or I could be an ass about the whole thing and play dumb. I already knew what I'd do.

"My dear Catnip, I have no idea what you're talking about."

To my complete pleasure I saw that Katniss's eyebrow briefly twitched at the mention of her childhood nickname. Myself and our other best friend, Gale Hawthorne, had been out hunting one day when we came across Katniss. I'd known her and been placed mostly in Ms. Everdeen's care, but up until then we hadn't been very close. It was only after we met through Gale that we had become like sister. He had asked her what her name was and when she told us Gale had thought she'd said Catnip. To this day I still used the name whenever she was annoyed with me. And that was quite a bit.

Moving to the side, Katniss followed me as we walked through the woods. "Aspen! Wait up!" she yelled.

As we walked, Katniss slowly caught up to me. "Hurry up. We don't have much time today," I called back.

"Thought I saw something up on the west bank earlier," Katniss said.

"Let's check it out."

It took her a few seconds to actually catch up to me. I'd always been a little faster with moving around than she was. When she finally did manage to catch up to me, I actually felt bad about having ever said anything to her in the first place. It took me a little longer than it should have to realize that this day was as hard on her as it was on Prim. Katniss's face looked broken and it tore me apart. I would do anything in my power to protect her and Prim, even if it meant dying myself.

"Why did you say that to Prim?" Katniss asked.

"You know why," I muttered.

"You really would take her place?"

"You know that answer as well as I do."

"Well now she has it in her head that you're going to get picked today," Katniss told me.

It made me feel a little bad. I sighed and continued forward with Katniss close on my tail. "At least I won't have to worry about Prim. At least I can keep her safe for her first year," I told the younger girl.

"You shouldn't need to," Katniss snapped.

Fighting the urge to slap her, I sighed softly. "Well I do," I bit back.

The two of us fell into a brief silence as I grunted, fighting to climb over a fallen log. The moment that I'd landed back on my feet I heaved my chest as I swung up over another log. Katniss had always hated this path to our spot, as it was much more obstructed than the one that she liked, but I loved it. It made me feel like I was out on the playgrounds that were in the Capitol. It made me feel like I was a monkey. Like I was free to roam around and jump and swing. Maybe a little silly, but it was the freedom that I wanted. It was the freedom that I would never have. That none of us would ever have.

"Aspen, you can't do that," Katniss said, racing to catch up to me.

It just showed how much I should be in the Games over her. I had the shorter legs but I tended to move a lot faster than Katniss. Speed was one of the many skills that I possessed that made me confident that if I was to ever get Reaped, I would have a fighting chance. There were a number of things that made me confident enough. Not that I would ever want to be in the Games. Turning back to Katniss, I let out an exasperated breath and shrugged at her, wanting to avoid a fight.

"Why is that, Katniss?" I asked.

"You know why," she said.

"I don't."

"Because it's not fair to you," she muttered.

"It's not fair to you either. You have a family that you need to take care of. I have no one except for your family and Gale's. I don't need to stay alive for anyone. I'd have a better chance in the arena than you and you know it," I argued.

Katniss let a shocked face fall for a moment before going back to her normally stoic look. "I don't know what you mean," she said.

"Don't bullshit me. That's right, I know all about your deal with yourself. If Prim does get Reaped today, you'll take her spot. I'm no moron. I know and Gale knows too."

"I guess neither one of you can be surprised. Gale would do the same for his siblings."

"So why can't I do it for Prim?" I asked.

"Because -"

"Because I'm not really her sister? I know that. I know that just as well as you do. But she is my family. You both are," I growled.

The guilt was evident in Katniss's eyes. "I wasn't going to say that," she whispered.

"I know," I said honestly. I knew that Katniss thought of me as a sister as much as she did Prim. "Cat, I'd be better in there than you. We both know that. If she gets Reaped, I'll take her spot. You will stay here and help her grow up. Help her take care of your mother. She needs her sister, not me."

As I expected, Katniss opened her mouth to argue with me. "Aspen -"

I cut her off before she got the chance to say anything. "No, Katniss. My word is final and you would do best to listen to me. You know that I'm right," I told her.

"You're not as smart as you like to think you are," Katniss said.

It almost made me smile. It wasn't common for her to make little jokes like that. "Maybe it'll come back to bite me one day. We're here," I told her.

Leaning down, I grabbed her bow and handed it off to the younger girl. It was old and valuable so I was very careful with it. Searching through my array of weapons, I picked up my sheath with my three throwing knives and strapped them to me. I usually used knives on days that I was angry as they were better for taking the anger out. Looking over at Katniss, I saw that her bow and arrows were strapped to her. I wanted to open my mouth, but I thought better of it. She didn't need to hear any more from me.

"You take the right, I'll take the left. Meet at our usual spot in twenty minutes," I told her before walking off.

I knew that she probably still wanted to talk to me, to try and fix the strange argument that we'd just had, but I wasn't in the mood. I never was on this day. Although I think I have more reason to hate Reaping Day than others do. My mother had gotten pregnant with me at a young age. She had been sixteen and my father had been eighteen. It wasn't uncommon for poor mine workers to have children young. My parents certainly hadn't been the only teenage parents. That year had been the beginning of it all. The curse that for some reason had fallen on my family.

My father had gotten Reaped that year, just weeks before my due date and his own nineteenth birthday, and promised my mother that he would come back to her and to me. It would have been the first time that he had been able to see his daughter. But it hadn't worked out that way. He had known his way around knives and been a decent hand-to-hand combat man. That was what people had told me at least. Hell he had made it far from what I'd heard. Been in the final two. Him and the District 2 male. But the District 2 Tribute had pierced him in the heart with his sword, killing my father.

It wasn't a shock to anyone. They were always some of the best Tributes. His death had destroyed my mother from what I had heard. But she vowed to raise me properly. Unfortunately things hadn't worked in her favor. Just under two years after I had been born, my mother had gotten Reaped. Like my father, my mother had been skilled in combat. Although her own skills had been with a bow, just like Katniss. But just like clockwork, in the final two, my mother had been stabbed in the heart by the District 2 male.

Both of my parents had left me their weapons and apparently I had been born with their skills. But that didn't matter. I always liked to train by myself, making sure that I was ready if the family curse continued with me. So far I only had this Reaping to go. If I wasn't picked, then the family curse would end with my parents. But if it didn't end there I had one goal. It wasn't to live. It was to kill the District 2 male. I wanted to stab him in the heart. I wanted to make sure that he feels the same agony that my parents felt when they died.

It wasn't really his fault. It was more of a revenge thing. After all, the District One and Two Tributes are normally volunteers. They train from a young age for the Games and when they're eighteen, they volunteer. It's technically illegal to train for the Games, but the Capitol turns a blind eye to it. They want a good game and the District One and Two Tributes normally give them one. They signed up for it, which made it easier for me to think about killing them. But I was getting ahead of myself, the Reaping hadn't even happened yet. And I might actually make it through. Although, I had never been one to have much luck.

A crack of a tree branch snapped me out of my thoughts and I raised my knife. I had never seen a wolf or anything too dangerous out here, but it was better to be safe than sorry. In this society dying from a wolf while hunting was something to laugh at. Not when there were so many more creative ways that the Capitol could think to do it. Scanning through the forest I saw that only about one hundred feet from where I was standing, there was a deer. A big one too.

As quietly as possible, I moved over a fallen tree trunk and placed myself behind a bush not even fifty feet away from the deer. A large smile was spread over my face. I hadn't seen a deer in a damn long time. I knew that it would go for a good amount at the Hob. Or we could eat the entire thing. It would be dinner for almost a week. I just knew that I would be happy with something like that for dinner. I'd been living mostly on soup for the past few days as the woods had been relatively empty.

Slipping a knife from my sheath, I raised it to the side of my head and prepared to throw it. But for a moment I stopped and stared at the deer. Part of me didn't want to kill it. The animal looked so peaceful and so happy. It wasn't fair of me to kill it. Then again, life isn't fair. Just as I prepared to throw, I saw Katniss on the other side of the bank with an arrow nocked. Turns out I wasn't the only one that wanted the deer. Shaking my head at her, she spotted me and nodded, letting me know that she was going to let me shoot it.

Taking a deep breath, I prepared to throw the knife when a voice rang out, shattering the silence. "What're you gonna do with that when you kill it?"

It was the voice of my other best friend, Gale Hawthorne. Unsurprisingly, the deer took off running at the sudden noise. In a panic at losing the food I threw the knife and it just barely grazed the ear of the deer. Definitely not a kill shot. Clearly not wanting to lose the deer either, Katniss raised her bow and shot for the deer. But she too, missed. Her arrow had flown over the head of the deer. Shaking my head, I gave up on the deer. It had sprinted off and we didn't have the time to track it now.

Whipping around to my male best friend, I saw that he was laughing and I felt my breath shorten and my eyes narrow. That could have been dinner for all of us and our families. For a few days maybe. All I Knew was that it was better than the garbage that we had been eating recently. My stomach gave a low growl and I groaned. Now all I could think about was the loss of my dinner.

"Fuck you, Gale!" I yelled at the same time that Katniss had yelled, "Damn you."

Growling at him, I walked over to him and punched his shoulder. He held his arm from the punch but continued to chuckle. "Thought you were faster than that?" Gale asked me.

"It's not funny," both Katniss and I told him at the same time.

Gale laughed at the two of us and pulled me into him. "What're you gonna do with a hundred pound deer, Tiger? Hey Katnip."

Both of us rolled our eyes at the nicknames that we had been graced by Gale. I had gotten my nickname from the first time that I had met Gale. He had been chasing me through the woods because I had stolen his bird. I had been getting away but he had longer legs. Once he had finally caught me, I had put up a hell of a fight where I had left scratch marks all over him. From then on Tiger had been Gale's favorite name to call me. It was also not long after that, that the two of us had met Katniss. And the three of us had been best friends since then.

"It's Reaping Day, the place is crawling with Peacekeepers," Gale said as he let me out of his vice grip.

Shaking my head at Gale I rolled my eyes. "I know that, Gale. I was gonna sell it. To Peacekeepers..." I muttered the last part.

Katniss came up to the two of us with my knife in hand. "Here," she said.

"Thanks," I said, smiling at her and grabbing the knife to sheath it, watching as she put the wasted arrow back into its sheath.

"Of course you were," Gale said with a slight eye roll.

This time it was Katniss that stepped in. "Like you don't sell the Peacekeepers," she told him.

Not saying anything, I nodded at her. He sold to them all the time, I had been with him before when he had done it. The Peacekeepers were supposed to keep us from illegally selling items and hunting, but if it was beneficial to them, they would turn a blind eye to it. The whole thing was fine by me. It meant that I could feed myself and the Hawthorne's and Everdeen's, while being able to keep up my skills. My own form of training in case the day ever came that I was Reaped. Or if I had to step in, in the case that Katniss or Prim were Reaped.

"No!" Gale yelled.

I jumped at the sudden volume change and turned to Gale. "Quiet. We don't know whose close," I whispered.

"Not today," he said, quieter after realizing that he had startled me and at my warning.

I wanted to fight him on it, but he was right. Just because the Peacekeepers here in District 12 turned a blind eye to the illegal activities that went on all around 12, didn't mean that those from the Capitol would be so kind to it. About half of the Peacekeepers here today were from the Capitol. And most of the Peacekeepers in the Capitol wanted nothing more than to see the Districts suffer. Even though I knew that he was right, I still sighed. I had lost out on that deer big time. Someone at The Hob - District 12's illegal black market - would have paid an arm and a leg for it.

"It's the first deer I've seen in a year. Now, I have nothing," I told him with my head down.

"That's the first animal I've seen in a week," Katniss muttered.

It was better safe than sorry, but that didn't mean that I was happy about losing my deer. Deer were pretty rare around here. Once a year was about all we saw them. It just figured that we would see one on the day of the Reaping. The one day a year where we couldn't do anything about it. It was also true that the animals were gone. They normally cleared out with the commotion during the Games. Gale pulled me into him and gave me a small hug.

"Okay," he said, let ting me go and picking up a rock.

"What are you doing?" I asked. I raised one eyebrow and saw that Katniss was giving him the same look.

"Don't talk. Here, watch this," Gale said.

He chucked the rock at a tree just a few yards from where we were standing. Right when the rock hit the trunk of the tree a flock of birds flew out of the leaves. Chicken was good enough for me. As quickly as I could, I grabbed a knife and flung it at the birds, while Katniss shot an arrow at the flock. Not a moment later two birds fell out of the sky, landing a few feet in front of us. The two of us rarely missed shots and I smiled, feeling better for making up the missed deer. I looked at the birds and laughed. Bulls-eyes.

"Nice," I told Gale.

"Good shooting," he told us.

"I'm still pissed about the deer," I growled. We all laughed as Gale grabbed me and dragged me away from the site.

Ten minutes later, we had the small birds stuffed in our bags and the three of us were sitting in a small clearing. We had found it not long after we had met Katniss and it had quickly become our favorite spot to sit. It was so peaceful out here, like there was nothing that could get to us. No Capitol, no Reaping, no Games. If only. I knew that we were all thinking about the Games, but everyone's mind was somewhere else. I was sure that Gale were thinking about how it was our last year, just like me. Katniss was surely thinking about Prim. But so was I. Would I volunteer if she was called? Absolutely.

"What if they did?" Gale asked, cutting off my train of thought.

I gave him a curious look. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Just one year. What if everyone just stopped watching?" he clarified.

I shook my head. Not this again. Every year when the Games came on, we were all required to watch them. Here in 12 it was really the only time of year our television even worked. The Capitol didn't care enough to fix it at any other time of the year. Gale had been thinking about this for a long time. If one year people didn't watch it, the Capitol wouldn't have a show. But that would never happen. People either actually liked it, or were too afraid to disobey the Capitol.

"They won't, Gale," Katniss said before I got the chance.

I hoped that it would end there, but I knew that it wouldn't. Gale would want to drag this thing out. "What if they did? What if we did?" Gale asked, looking over myself and Katniss.

It didn't matter if three people didn't watch the Games. They would just kill us and make us an example for anyone that was thinking the same thing. "Won't happen," I told Gale.

He didn't want to take that for an answer as he continued to badger us about it. "You root for your favorite, you cry when they get killed. It's sick," he said.

"Of course it's sick. That's the point. But they don't care about three teenagers. We don't watch the Games and we get killed or something of the likes. Everyone is too afraid to do anything. The people that aren't get executed. It's not a fight that we can win," I said.

"We haven't tried fighting," Gale said.

Deep down inside I knew that he was right. But it didn't make any difference what we felt. The people of the Capitol loved the Games. Not that they had any reason not to. The children of the Capitol had always been exempt from the Games. We all knew that they wouldn't love it if they were forced to participate as well. If they felt the fear that we did, every year when we waited for the name to be read out. When we waited to see if we would be safe for one more year.

"Gale," I warned.

We never knew who was listening and I didn't want to risk any more than we already were by being out here. Gale looked over at me and held me by the shoulders. "If no one watches... Then they don't have a game. It's as simple as that. What?" he asked Katniss, who was giggling at him.

Gale let go of my shoulders and looked at the younger girl. Katniss was two years younger than us, but she fit right in. She looked up at Gale and shook her head at him. "Nothing," Katniss told him.

After a beat of silence, Gale looked away and stared off into the distance with a slightly hurt look crossing his face. "Fine, laugh at -" Gale began to say before Katniss cut him off.

"I'm not laughing at you," she said.

The conversation dwindled to nothing for a while and I sat, staring off towards the Town Square, where the Reaping would be held in a few hours. The Reaping was presented live so that it would go in sequential order of the Districts, making District 12 the last to go. It was so that people could watch all of the Reapings, but it really only worked if you lived in the Capitol. Just like everything else. Once more, Gale spoke up and I had to repress a sigh. It was the same thing that we heard every year from him.

"We could do it, you know? Take off. Live in the woods," he told us.

It wouldn't work. We could try, but there was no way that it would work. "It wouldn't work," I told Gale.

There was nothing past District 12, nowhere to go. Nothing to eat. If the Capitol didn't kill us, either the dehydration or starvation would. "What would we do anyway? They'd catch us," Katniss said.

I nodded at her. She was right. There was no ending that would turn out good for us if we chose to leave and try to live in the woods. Gale shrugged his shoulders at her. "Maybe not," he said.

I knew that he was trying to stay calm to avoid a fight with either myself or Katniss. Today was a day that we should all be able to be happy together, not be at each other's throats. Not yet at least. But we all tended to fight a fair bit, particularly as tempers ran high on Reaping Day. Once more, Katniss shook her head at Gale, keeping her focus on the Town Square.

"Cut out our tongues or worse. We wouldn't make it five miles," she said.

I hated to admit it, but she was right. The Capitol could just send an aircraft for us. They'd have us in their custody, and maybe dead, inside of ten minutes. "I'm a little fond of my tongue so I'll take a hard pass," I muttered, clawing at the grass.

Gale laughed at her - or maybe me - and shook his head. "No, I'd get five miles. We'll go that way," he said, pointing to the woods.

He was pointing out towards where District 13 had once stood. The District that's specialty had been nuclear technology. Weapons. It was probably a good thing that they had been the district that had gotten destroyed. For the Capitol anyways. It would have been great for them to still be around for us. Shaking me from my thoughts about the non-existent District, Katniss's voice brought me back to reality.

"I have Prim. You have your brothers," Katniss said.

She was right; Rory, Vick, and Posy. Those were Gale's brothers and they were all far too young to make it in the woods. Hell, they weren't even old enough to be in the Reaping. There was no way that they could make it. And Prim... well she wasn't exactly the type to make it in the woods. She was more of an indoors type of person. That was most of the reason that I would be willing to volunteer for her. I knew that she wouldn't make it more than a day or two in the Games.

Shrugging his shoulders, Gale looked over at Katniss. "They can come too," Gale said.

I laughed at him. Rory, Vick, and Posy were too young. If they got sick from something, there was a good chance that they would die. There was no way that we would be able to risk any of them. Particularly not because we all cared very deeply for the three little boys. I was pretty sure that Prim would rather take her chances with the Reaping than live in the woods.

"Prim in the woods?" Katniss asked, voicing my thoughts about the youngest Everdeen.

Gale seemed to think about it for a moment before laughing and shaking his head. "Maybe not," he said.

Leaning back slightly I sighed. It turned out that our discussion had gone better than last year when it had turned into a screaming match between the three of us. We were all hotheads, which wasn't very helpful in arguments. After a few beats of silence, Katniss finally spoke up.

"I'm never having kids," she said.

"Me either," I agreed.

It wasn't something that I even needed a moment to think about. It wasn't something that I'd ever really needed to think about. It wasn't fair of us to have to bring kids into a world like this. Maybe if it were different, but not like this. Not where I might have to watch my kids go off and never come back. To die and never get to live an actual life. Gale seemed to think on it for a moment before speaking up.

"I might. If I didn't live here," he said.

Gale's words made me smile. He had always been the friendliest out of the three of us. It was something that always impressed me. I hated kids anyways, but he had a good point. They might not be too bad of an idea if we lived in a place where The Hunger Games didn't exist. It just wasn't fair to them, to bring them into a world like this. As much as a downer as ever, Katniss shook her head.

"But you do live here," she pointed out.

Gale turned to her and glared, making me laugh slightly. "I know, but if I didn't. Oh, I forgot. Here," Gale said, turning to rummage through his pack.

I'd always told him that he kept far too many things in his pack. He was never able to find anything that he needed. Hopefully we would never be in a life or death situation. Both Katniss looked at the pack and waited patiently as Gale rummaged in the pack for whatever it was that he had forgotten about until now. With Gale taking too long, I poked him in the side sharply. He turned back for the briefest of seconds to glare at me.

"Come on Gale, hurry up. Might go to the Reaping early if you're gonna take his long," I teased.

"Funny," he muttered.

Gale turned back to me and shoved me with a small smirk on his face. Even if I'd had the balance to counteract his movements I didn't bother. I merely laughed and hit the grass but quickly pulled myself back up. I felt like we had needed something to brighten the mood of the day. Even if it was just a dumb joke. Gale seemed to finally get what it was that he wanted when he pulled it out. It was a loaf of bread that looked like it had come from the Mellark's bakery. And it looked fresh too.

"Oh my God! Is this real?" Katniss squealed, jumping forward and grabbing the loaf of bread from Gale.

"You're joking!" I cried.

Even from here it could smell fantastic. I laughed and sat by her as she tore Gale and me a piece from the loaf. I smiled and dug into the bread, basking at the warmth and freshness of the bread. It wasn't too often that I tasted something like that. I couldn't even remember the last time that I had bread that didn't taste like it was made out of rocks. I heard a bark of laughter and shot Gale a dark glare. I was sure that I looked ridiculous but it was fresh bread. That stuff was way too good to pass up.

"Yeah. Better be. Cost me a squirrel. Happy Hunger Games," Gale toasted.

"And may the odds be ever in your favor," the three of us said the last part together.

It was the stupid saying that our escort, Effie Trinket, had come up with, way back when she had first become an Escort. They were the people that no one quite knew what they were for. I supposed that they were a personal relations expert. They got the Tributes back and forth where they needed to be and also told us what they were supposed to be acting like. They were also the ones that transported them from their Districts to the Capitol. Effie had been the District 12 Escort for as long as I could remember. As we all ate our bread in a content silence, I looked over at Katniss.

"How many times did you put your name in today?" Katniss asked both Gale and me.

I shook my head and pointed to Gale, wanting him to go first. "You go," I muttered.

He sighed but finally nodded. "Forty-two. I guess the odds aren't exactly in my favor," he said with a small laugh.

I wasn't good odds but it still wasn't as bad as mine. Katniss and Gale both looked over at me and I sighed. "Well, just keep in mind, I have to take care of myself so I need to take out more of the Tessera. Now I want no comments, okay?" I asked my two friends.

They both nodded and I took a deep breath. "Just tell us," Gale snapped.

"One hundred and twenty-three slips."

Their eyes widened but I shook my head. They had said no comments and I was going to hold them to that. I knew that I was fucked, I didn't need to hear it again. The three of us ate the rest of our food in silence before we headed out of the woods. Katniss and I hid our weapons in the tree trunk where we always did and said a quick goodbye to Gale. I headed off to the left of the Seam with Katniss and the two of us said our goodbyes so that we could get ready for the Reaping. Unfortunately we all had to dress up for the Reaping for it was considered a formal event. I gave Katniss a hug and pulled her into me.

"I'll meet you out here in thirty minutes so we can walk over together," I said.

"Deal. Help me with Prim on the way?" she asked.

"Of course."

Katniss nodded at me and I moved away from her, heading to my small home. We were next door neighbors and had been for the past few years. All of the homes in the Seam were falling apart, but few were quite as dilapidated as mine was. I walked in and sighed. No matter how much I cleaned or anything of the sorts the house always looked like it was about to fall apart. I would have to be careful. During the next winter - when the snow came down in droves - I was sure that the roof would collapse. Another day and another problem.

Taking off my boots, I stripped off my brown leather jacket, black shirt, and bleached white pants. They had apparently been my mothers so naturally I always wore them. It felt like I had something of her with me at all times. Grabbing my tin tub, I ran the bath with cold water and jumped in. Shaking from the cold, I ran the soap over my body and washed the dirt and grease out of my hair as quickly as I could. I tried to keep baths as short as possible. Stepping out I looked down and saw that the water was brown. I smirked at the thought of the horrified faces of the Capitol citizens if they saw how their precious Tributes bathed.

At least, those of us in the outer Districts. The ones in the inner Districts might have at least been able to bathe with warm water. I would have loved that. The freezing water made the dirt almost more comforting than the thought of the cold water. Circling the bathtub, pushing and shoving it back into the corner of the house, I walked over to my full length mirror and examined myself.

My long light blonde hair fell over my shoulders and hit the middle of my back. It was too long but I didn't feel like cutting it. I ran a brush through it quickly and squeezed the water out. Staring at my naked body I saw that my muscles were prominent but not extreme. I looked strong, but a healthy strong. Although the dark circles under my eyes said otherwise. My skin was tan from all the days that I had spent hunting, but the dark areas were still easy to see. I usually had a hard time sleeping. I was always plagued with nightmares about my parents in the Games.

Shaking my head again, I looked over my curves. I had them as they had come in not long after my twelfth birthday. The older female residents of the Hob had always said that most girls would die for them, but I didn't care. There really wasn't anyone that I had to look pretty for. I had never had a boyfriend before and it was common knowledge that I would either marry Gale or someone that I ended up working with. And that was only if I made it past this Reaping.

I gave a quick spin and saw what the Hob residents were talking about. I did have a flat stomach, although that might be from being malnourished. I had a large chest, but not so much that running was difficult. I had short legs but they were nicely tanned and slim, the strong kind of slim. I looked at my face and smiled; it was the one part of myself that I liked. I had a heart shaped face that had high cheekbones and bright blue eyes with freckles lightly dusted under them. Sighing I looked away from the mirror. Who cared what I look like? The Capitol. They didn't care if their residents were starving or dying or anything else.

Walking into the bedroom area of my house, I went into the small dresser that Katniss had given me and grabbed the only garment that was in the bottom drawer. It was a garment that I had only worn six times before. It was a dark blue dress that dipped slightly in the front, had a low back, and came up to my mid thighs. It hugged my curves slightly but was still a little lose. It was the nicest pair of clothing that I owned. I loved the dress but only for the reason that it had been my mothers.

Trying to force myself to remember that everything would be over in a few hours, I walked over to the door and grabbed the black sandals that were covered in dust from having not been worn in a year. Every other day I wore my boots that were falling apart. Turning back to my mirror, I gave myself a once over. Once I was satisfied that I looked acceptable I grabbed a hair tie and headed towards the door. Pulling half of my hair up, I tightened the loop in my hair and walked out the door, slamming it behind me.

Making a slight dash to Katniss's house, trying to ignore the little sniffles and sobs that were coming from other kids on their way to the Reaping, I walked in the front door of the house. Almost immediately I was met with the sight of Katniss, Prim, and their mother. They were all standing together in the living room of the house. I smiled at the three women and walked up closer. They all looked as nice as I had ever seen the three Everdeen women.

"You look lovely," Ms. Everdeen told me.

I smiled at her. "Thank you Ms. Everdeen. So do you," I told her.

She smiled back at me before I walked forward to where Katniss and Prim were standing together. I felt bad for the Everdeen's. They had lost their father in a mining accident, but at least they had their mother. I had neither. Walking over to the girls I smiled at them. Katniss was wearing a pretty blue dress with her hair up. Prim had her hair up the same way, but she was wearing a white dress shirt and a grey skirt, the way that most younger girls dressed for the Reaping. Soon enough she would be wearing the same dress that Katniss was wearing for Reapings.

"You ladies ready to go?" I asked them.

They both nodded and we all walked out of the house. "Let's get this over with," Katniss muttered.

Glancing down I noticed that Prim was nervous. "You okay, Prim?" I asked her.

"Will it be fast?" she asked me.

"It just takes a few minutes. Not to worry. We'll go out and take care of your goat afterwards, okay?" I asked.

She smiled at me. "Okay," she said weakly.

The three of us made our way down the street as we met up with the other thousand or so kids that would be participating in the Reaping this year. District 12 was one of the larger Districts in Panem. We had more children than others. The walk was almost silent towards the Square. The only noise that was being made was the crunch of gravel under our shoes as we made our way to the Town Square. I shook my head at the sight. It felt like we were cattle being led to slaughter. Although I guess that was basically what we were.

We came up to the Square and I scowled at the view. It looked the same that it did every year, but there was something different about this year. Maybe it was because Prim was actually eligible to be in the Reaping this year. But she would be fine. There was no way that she would be Reaped. Not when there were so many other names in the Reaping Ball. The entire area was coated with Peacekeepers and the families of the children that were in the Reaping this year.

As usual, there were people betting on who would be Reaped from the pool. People always did it to make some extra money. After all most of us were just numb to the losses year after year. I used to think that it was cruel but now I found that I didn't blame them. They weren't doing it to be malicious, they just needed the money. Katniss, Prim, and I turned to follow the crowd and found ourselves in the line that would prick our finger to check that we were at the Reaping. Unless you were on your deathbed, it was a requirement to be at the Reaping.

Keeping Prim between Katniss and me, I grabbed her hand and as we got closer to the table. It was the part that I had been the most nervous for during my own first Reaping. Gale had been the one that had managed to pull me with him. Two years later we had helped Katniss along. I felt Prim tighten her grip and back away from the table. I stopped and saw that the younger girl was slowly backing away from the table. It looked like she was about to have a panic attack. I'd been expecting this. Walking over to the younger girl, I bent down by her and went to consoling her with Katniss.

"Shh. Shh. Prim, it's okay. It's okay. Shh," Katniss said while I pulled Prim into me.

"You're gonna be fine, sweetie. Just keep it together for a few minutes, okay?" I asked her.

"What if I - I'm not?" Prim asked.

"You'll be fine. We're all gonna be fine," I said.

As I was petting Prim's forehead I saw a Peacekeeper come up from behind us. "Okay, it's time to send her now," the Peacekeeper told us.

Prim began to panic again and I groaned, standing up and glaring at the man - or woman, I couldn't really tell. Standing straight up, I turned to the Peacekeeper and had to restrain myself from spitting in their face. "Can't you give us a second? Ceremony doesn't start for another five minutes. Pretend like you have a heart," I growled at the Peacekeeper before squatting back down.

Judging by the look on Katniss's face, she wasn't happy that I'd just spoken out like that. But I didn't care. This was hard enough. They didn't need to make it worse. I had expected a blow to the head or something, but the crunch of gravel told me that the Peacekeeper had decided to walk away. As I gripped the younger girl's hand, Katniss pointed Prim to the table where they were checking the ID's of the children.

"Okay, they will prick your finger to take just a little bit of blood," Katniss told her younger sister.

Prim shook for a moment before looking over Katniss and me. "I'm scared," she mumbled to us.

I shook my head at her and gave Prim a small hug. "There's nothing to be scared of. You're safe," I told her.

When I released her, Katniss grabbed her sister by the shoulders and pulled her closer. "Prim, it doesn't hurt much. Just a little. Okay? Go sit down there with the little kids. I'll find you after okay?" Katniss offered.

Her legs were shaking, but there were other twelve-year-old kids that were screaming in tears. It would only be a matter of seconds before they all silenced themselves, knowing that the punishment for crying or making noise was miserable. Prim nodded and walked ahead. I let out a breath as I saw that her finger was pricked and she went to take her spot at the back of the crowd. The younger kids were in the back and the older in the front, as we had a greater chance of being picked.

"You alright?" I asked Katniss.

"Good. You?"

"Good."

"It's your last year. Congratulations," Katniss said, squeezing my hand.

"Do me a favor?"

Katniss raised her eyebrows. "What?" she asked.

"Don't tell me that for another ten minutes."

The corners of her lips quirked upwards into a smile. "Deal," she said.

I nodded at Katniss and she went ahead of me. "Next. Next. Go ahead," the woman told Katniss as she was scanned. I watched with sharp eyes as Katniss walked ahead and took her spot with the other sixteen-year-old kids. "Next. Next. Next. Next."

Despite my slight fear of needles I walked up to her and held out my finger. Grimacing at the sharp pain, I shook my head and walked into the area where they kept all of the kids. I shook my head as a morbid thought crossed my mind. In just about two weeks, two of the kids standing here would be dead. I'd like to think that they would have a chance, but they didn't. District 12 never stood a chance. Our Tributes were always two of the first to die with our lack of survival skills and general undernourishment.

Walking over to the front of the area, where the rest of the eighteen-year-old kids were standing, I looked back and saw Katniss and Prim in the female section. I noticed that the people standing around me looked to be a mix of relieved and terrified. We were all almost done with the Hunger Games. Scanning the crowd to my right, I saw that Gale was two rows ahead of me in the male section. He mouthed a quick 'good luck' and I mouthed the same thing back. The area was dead silent by now. This wasn't really the time for anyone to be talking.

The clicking of heels caught my attention. I looked up to the stage and saw that our Escort, Effie Trinket, was taking her place at the microphone. I nearly laughed at the sight of her. This year her theme seemed to be a horrible fuchsia. This year she had bright pink with pale face paint, or something like that. Makeup didn't make much sense to me. The woman looked ridiculous, just like she did every year. Also on the stage was the Mayor, his daughter Madge, and the only living Victor of District 12.

District 12 had only ever produced two victors. The first of whom was long dead, and the second was Haymitch Abernathy. He had competed the year of the second Quarter Quell, a special Games every twenty-five years, and had won by figuring out how to use the force field to his advantage. That year, instead of two Tributes from every district, there were four. That meant that forty-seven kids had died that year. Unlikable then, he still wasn't much better. A complete drunk, Haymitch was always found passed out with a bottle in his hands. I couldn't say that I blamed the man. He had seen, and done, some awful things.

Effie's squeaky voice made me jump and I stared straight ahead at the stage. She was starting to welcome everyone as the cameras panned over the crowd to show the Capitol their last District Reaping. Not that they probably cared. They had already gotten their Career Tributes and that was all that they cared about. I wasn't staring at Effie, but at the crystal balls that held the names of all eligible kids. One for the boys and one for the girls. One hundred and twenty-three of those slips had my name on them. One had Prim's. I was sure that about sixty had Katniss's name on them. And forty-two had Gale's.

"Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Happy Hunger Games. And... may the odds be ever in your favor," Effie greeted. I snorted at the stupid saying that Effie had coined years ago. She sounded moronic with her Capitol accent and the saying just made it even worse. "Now, before we begin. We have a very special film. Brought to you all the way from the Capitol."

No one really knew why she made it sound like it was such a big deal. It was the same video that they showed, year after year, that made the Districts sound like we had been the bad guys. Was that supposed to make us feel better that the Capitol was sending two of our residents off to fight against other innocent kids? Was that supposed to change the fact that this day was about to destroy two more innocent families? No. But did they care? No. And they never would.

I looked over at Gale and saw that he was mocking the words as they were said by the man in the video. He had always been my comfort during the Reaping. He was always the one that I could look at and managed to smile at. He was much funnier than people liked to think that he was. I laughed slightly and rolled my eyes when I saw the scowl of two girls standing next to me. We were just trying to make light of a bad situation. I noticed that Katniss had been smiling at him too. I tried to focus on the words of the man narrating the video.

"War, terrible war. Widows, orphans, a motherless child. This was the uprising that rocked our land. Thirteen Districts rebelled against the country that fed them, loved them, protected them." I wasn't the only person to snort. "Brother turned on brother until nothing remained. And then came the peace, hard fought, sorely won. A people rose up from the ashes and a new era was born. But freedom has a cost. When the traitors were defeated, we swore as a nation we would never know this treason again. And so it was decreed that, each year, the various Districts of Panem would offer up, in tribute, one young man and woman to fight to the death in a pageant of honor, courage and sacrifice. The lone Victor, bathed in riches, would serve as a reminder of our generosity and our forgiveness. This is how we remember our past. This is how we safeguard our future."

The video ended and I rolled my eyes at the clapping that was sounding from the stage. It made me so furious that the people in the Capitol really thought that we were the monsters here. We were the people that had tried so hard to actually make our lives work. We were the ones that were beaten down and killed for no reason. The Capitol were the real monsters. Effie slowly stopped her clapping as she realized that no one else was happy with this. All this was to our District was a nightmare. A nightmare that we couldn't get out of until this day was over.

"I just love that. Now, the time has come to select one courageous young man and woman. For the honor of representing District 12 in the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hunger Games," she said brightly. I rolled my eyes as Effie dragged out her speech. Come on, just pick the names and let me go home. "As usual... ladies first."

The moment that she stopped speaking I felt my heart rate pick up as her horribly gloved hand found its way into the glass ball. Not Prim, not Katniss, and not me. Please not us. Effie swirled her hand around in the ball for a few moments, even faking out picking some papers, and I had to cover my mouth to keep myself from shouting at her to hurry the hell up. As her hand finally stopped moving she reached down and pulled out the paper. My breath stopped as she slowly opened the paper and her eyes scanned over the paper once to read the name to herself first.

Then, finally, the name was read aloud. "Primrose Everdeen!"


	2. Chapter Two

It was a dream. I was back in my bed and in a few seconds I would be awoken by Prim or Katniss coming to get me and yell at me for oversleeping. But no matter how many times I blinked, the nightmare didn't go away. It was real. Gathering my breath, I shook my head. No. If this was real I had to do something. There was no way that I would ever let Prim do something like this. She was not going to die. And I was not going to let Katniss take her place like I knew she would. As I began to move myself out of my rooted place, Effie's voice startled me into a dead halt.

"Where are you? Come on up," Effie said, a moronic smile on her face.

Absolutely not. There was no way that I could let her get up there. I imagined that Katniss was in the same stunned silence that I was. I had to react before she did something. I began to panic as I saw that Prim had finally moved out of her place in the line and was moving to the stage. She was actually going to walk up there. Not that she had much of a choice. I had to hurry before either Prim made it to the stage or Katniss volunteered. Effie finally spotted Prim and smiled at the younger girl.

"Well, come on up!" Effie called.

The audience all looked horrified. I knew why. Everyone in District 12 knew who Prim was. She was popular and had a sweet personality about her. They looked her and knew that she was twelve years old. They knew that she was far too young to even have a fighting chance. Prim slowly moved forward so that she was out in the aisle and I felt my breath catch in my throat. Shoving my way through the crowd I saw that Katniss was doing the exact same thing. I had to hurry, I was running out of time.

"Prim! Prim!" Katniss called.

She wasn't standing too far from where I was. She was just a few feet behind me. I knew that in a matter of seconds she would make her way past me. I noticed that kids were starting to part where Prim was standing. They were all leaving her ample room to get up to the stage. Prim looked terrified as she turned back to Katniss and I began to shove people out of my way to get to them. I had to get there before either one could do anything foolish. As I shoved my way through the relieved eighteen-year-old kids, I noticed that Katniss had gotten caught by two Peacekeepers.

It didn't take a genius to know that she was about to say it. "No!" she screamed.

It was easy to see that she was now fighting against the two Peacekeepers that were holding her back. Her voice was shaky and desperate as she tried to shove past them. But their hands were tight around her. Katniss looked like she was about to cry. Prim had stopped walking and turned back to her sister. Every head in the Town Square was now aimed towards Katniss. Jumping out of the line, I stood in front of Effie as Peacekeepers caught me around my waist as I desperately tried to throw myself in front of the sisters.

"I volunteer! I volunteer!" Katniss and I shouted at the same time.

Katniss shoved the two Peacekeepers away from herself as I ripped my body away from the Peacekeepers that had caught me around the waist. Turning back, I saw that Katniss was staring at me in shock. As was the rest of the crowd. I'd thought that I would be able to get the words out before she could. I gave a quick glance around and saw that every eye in the audience was flickering back and forth between Katniss and me. Gale looked like he was about ready to move forward.

"I volunteer as Tribute," Katniss repeated.

She was still standing behind me. My head was lost in my thoughts about how this couldn't really have been happening when her words startled me out of my trance. Peacekeepers were surrounding both of us. As the ones that were surrounding Katniss pushed her forward, the ones surrounding me slowly began to push me back into the crowd. Fighting against the Peacekeepers, I broke my way through and jumped back into the main walkway. They looked about ready to shoot me. I ran up to Katniss and grabbed her shoulders, throwing her behind me.

"Stop!" Katniss hissed.

"Get off," I snarled, shoving her back away from me.

"Aspen -"

"I volunteer. Not her, me," I said determinedly.

The crowd was silent, as much as I knew that they would have rather been muttering among themselves and wondering what was about to happen. I looked up at the stage and saw that Effie seemed to be in total shock. Everyone was. Even Haymitch looked like he was awake. This had never happened before. Not in District 12 at least. With the crowd in silence and not even our Escort knowing what to do, I cleared my throat and stepped in front of Katniss, who was still trying to yank me back.

"Hunger Games by-laws state that if there are multiple Volunteers the eldest volunteer earns the right to compete in the Games," I said in a clear, confident voice. I couldn't be shaky now. I had to be tough. "That would be me."

For a moment, I thought the whole thing was a dream but as Effie began to nod at me, I knew that it wasn't. Besides, this would have been a nightmare. I was about to become a Tribute. "You are right, my dear. Well, come on up then!" Effie called, with her smile painted back on her face now that the shock had worn off. "I believe we have a volunteer."

I could have slapped her. Of course we had a volunteer. I began to walk forward to the stage when I felt a hand on my wrist. "What the hell are you doing?" a familiar voice sneered.

"Let go," I whispered.

"Don't do this. Prim is my family, let me do this," Katniss said.

There was a number of times that I had seen Katniss stronger than anyone her age should be, but there were very few times that I had seen her that weak. This was one of those few moments that she looked weak. Weaker than I'd ever seen her. I knew that she was mad but I could tell that she was more upset. Her eyes were filled with tears and they had softened from when she had volunteered. I wanted to cry with her but I couldn't. I needed to look strong. I needed to look like I didn't care that I had volunteered.

"Katniss, she's my family too. Just like you are. I couldn't let you do this. I love you. I love you both. I just gave you at least another year with her. Take it."

"Please don't," Katniss begged.

"Take care," I whispered.

It might be one of the last few chances that I would ever get to speak to her. I blinked back the tears that had risen to my eyes and I turned away from Katniss as Peacekeepers began to pull her back into the line. As I walked forward, I saw that Prim was staring at me in shock. As much as I wanted to reassure her, I couldn't look at her. She would make me break down. Prim ran over to me and pulled me into a hug. Feeling the tears rise to my eyes, I pushed Prim off of me and swallowed hard when I saw the hurt in her eyes.

"You need to get out of here Prim, go. You need to get out of here."

As I began to walk away from her I felt her small hand grab onto my arm. "No!" she screamed.

I looked her in the eye and nearly broke down when I saw that tears were flowing down her face. "Go find Katniss!" I hissed at Prim, who was clinging onto me by my waist.

"No!" she screamed again.

Please, I'm so sorry Prim but you have to go."

"No!"

"Prim, go find Katniss!"

"No!"

"Go find Katniss."

"No!"

"I'm sorry. Go to your mom."

"No!"

The two of us were at the same height as I kneeled down in front of her, desperate to ensure that the Peacekeepers wouldn't have to physically force her back into line. I wanted to make this as easy as possible. Katniss was crying, trying to pull Prim off of me. As Gale walked over, knowing that we needed to try and get the Reaping back on track, I nodded weakly at him. He looked heartbroken. We would get our chance to speak in a moment. I nodded my thanks at him for taking Prim away. He tried to pull her off of me, but she was latched on with a death grip.

"I'm so sorry Prim, I love you!" I yelled at her.

It was the last thing that I could say to her right now. I knew that the Careers would see this. I needed to act tough, not like I was a weakling from District 12. I looked at Gale, who had lifted Prim over his shoulder, and saw that even he had tears in his eyes. He was my first friend and he was about to watch his friend head off to her death. As good as I was, there were people that would be far better. Turning my back to the chaos behind me, I straightened my back out and cringed as I heard the yelling form behind me.

"No! Noo! Noo! Nooo! Noooo!" Prim was shrieking.

Trying to remain facing forward, I couldn't. I had to look back. Immediately I wished that I hadn't. I saw that Gale had her thrown Prim over his shoulder and was holding her down to make sure that she wouldn't run back over here. She would have if she could. Glancing over, I saw that tears were running down Katniss's face. Her mother had a sad look in her eyes and I nodded at her. I would do anything to save her family. Prim was still crying loudly and Gale had misty eyes, trying to keep himself together. While no one else was crying in the audience, every single person was staring in shock.

As I began to walk forward, I felt the hand of a Peacekeeper grab onto my arm and shove me forward slightly. Turning back to the Peacekeeper, I ripped my arm from his grip. "Get off of me!" I shouted. "I can walk," I muttered softer, knowing that I had not made a charming first impression. I needed to look tough, not bitter.

Despite what had just happened, the Peacekeepers were not going to let me walk without some of them escorting me. They also knew that chances were that Prim would be able to get loose of Gale's grip and run back up to me. I could still hear her sobbing in the background of the Town Square. Catching my breath, I sped up and kept a stoic look plastered on my face as I walked up to the stage. But it wasn't really stoic. It was just numb. Effie's voice startled me, but luckily I didn't jump.

"In a dramatic turn of events here in District 12... Yes... Well... District 12's very first volunteer. Or perhaps second I should say," Effie said with a tiny laugh. It's not very funny, Effie. "Big breath. Come on dear."

The Peacekeepers left my side and Effie ushered me up the stairs. It was almost impossible to climb them. Once I set foot on the stage I would be a Tribute. There was no turning back. I found my legs shaky. I was sure that at any second I was going to fall and smash a tooth against the stone stage. Cameras were in my face and I felt like hours had passed as I finally walked onto the stage. She planted me in front of the microphone and I felt like I was about to vomit. This was real. I was a Tribute. All I could hear was the crying and sniffling of Prim and Katniss.

"What's your name?" Effie asked.

For a moment, my mind was blank. I was shutting down, going into autopilot. "Aspen Antaeus," I said into the microphone.

It echoed all across the Town Square. If it hadn't felt real before, it certainly felt real now. I turned back briefly and saw that even Haymitch, who was normally too drunk to even stay awake during the Reapings, was wide awake and completely alert to what was going on. That was just to say how strange this whole thing was. Effie's voice forced me to turn back to the crowd, even though I wanted to crawl into a hole and die there.

"I believe I've heard that name before. Both of your parents participated in the Games, didn't they?" Effie asked.

I went stone cold for a minute. I couldn't believe that she'd known that. I wanted to say something rude, something snarky, something that would embarrass Effie. Or the Capitol. But nothing came to mind. So instead, I stupidly mumbled out, "Yes."

Effie nodded at me for a moment before pointing out to Prim and Katniss. "Why volunteer for her? Why not let the other young lady volunteer?" she asked.

Suppressing the urge to roll my eyes, I took a deep breath. "Prim is too young to be in these Games. She wouldn't make it and I couldn't watch her die. The other girl is her sister. I wasn't going to let these Games tear apart another family. They have each other to live for. I have no family left. You people took that from me," I growled at Effie.

The moment that I said it I knew that I shouldn't have. I wouldn't have been shocked if a Peacekeeper had killed me, we would have gone back to Prim, Katniss would have volunteered again, and we would have been back to square one. But that would have been the easy way out and I knew that this wouldn't be easy. Even if I had died right now I wouldn't have cared. My entire being had gone numb. For a moment Effie stood there with no idea what to say, before she began to slowly clap.

"Let's have a big hand for our very first volunteer, Aspen Antaeus."

Her clapping sped up, but no one joined in. Instead, slowly people began to raise three fingers to their lips and then raise them in the air. My eyes immediately began to water at the movement that was washing through the crowd. I hadn't seen that in a long time. It was a sign of respect used in District 12 to say goodbye to a loved one. I'd never seen it used for anyone before. I smiled as Effie's clapping began to slow down. She stopped and awkwardly coughed before heading over to the boys Reaping Ball.

Now I truly was in danger of crying, but fortunately Haymitch choose that time to come staggering across the stage to congratulate me. “Look at her. Look at this one!” he hollered, throwing an arm around my shoulders. He was surprisingly strong for such a wreck. “I like her!” His breath reeked of liquor and it had clearly been a long time since he’d bathed. “Lots of…” He couldn’t think of the word for a while. “Spunk! More than you!” He released me and started for the front of the stage. “More than you!”

Now he's standing right at the front of the stage and pointing straight into one of the cameras. At least they're now paying attention to him so that they couldn't see me wipe my eyes. Almost immediately I wondered if he was addressing the audience or if he was so drunk that he might actually have been taunting the Capitol? Either way it wasn't very bright. I would never know because just as he started opening his mouth to continue, Haymitch plummeted off the stage and knocked himself unconscious.

There was no laughter for his misfortune, as much as I might have thought that there would be. He was disgusting, but I was grateful for the momentary distraction. With every camera gleefully trained on him, as his actions probably have guaranteed him to be plastered all over the Capitol television shows tonight, I had just enough time to release the small, choked sound in my throat and compose myself. It was time to look like stone. I placed my hands behind my back and stared off into the distance, ignoring the cameras.

In only a matter of seconds they found my face again. I knew that they were trying to find some weakness. Instead I looked away and tried to pretend that I was already thinking about how to kill my fellow competitors. Instead I was actually looking at the hills that I climbed this morning with Gale and Katniss. For a moment, I yearned for something... The idea of the three of us leaving the District... Maybe we could have made our way in the woods... But I knew that we were right about not running off. Because who else would have volunteered for Prim, if not Katniss or I?

Interrupting the Reaping for about two minutes, the medical teams that were normally reserved for fainting Tributes or family members was brought in. Haymitch was finally whisked away on a stretcher. If things had been any different - if this had been some stranger up on the stage - I knew that Gale, Katniss, and I would have been laughing. Haymitch had always been a joke. Now I was praying that he was okay. I would need his help. In the meantime, Effie Trinket was trying to get the ball rolling again.

“What an exciting day!” she warbled.

Out of the corner of my eye - as I still was looking out towards the hill - I noticed that she was attempting to straighten her wig, which had listed severely to the right. It was just another thing that I could add to the list of things that would have made me laugh if this had been anyone else. Now I just wanted her to get her act together. I would need her help too in the days to come. They were no longer jokes. They were my lifeline. As Effie moved to the side, my eyes went wide. I had forgotten that there was still the boys to go. Please not Gale. I had lost too much today. I couldn't lose Gale too.

"And now... for the boys," Effie said, grabbing a small piece of paper. As she grabbed the piece she walked over to the microphone and read the name out to us. "Peeta Mellark."

My heart dropped into my stomach. Mellark wasn't a common name. He had to be the boy that I was thinking that he was. I watched the crowd and saw that one boy was singled out. Unless I was wrong, I knew that he was the son of the people who owned the bakery. And that would make things even harder. As the crowd parted I saw that the boy had light blonde hair and a stocky build. It was him. He looked shocked. He was from the merchant side. They never took out Tessera. It made sense. They had the money, they didn't need to.

It almost made me feel a little bit bad for him. I'd never spoken two words to Peeta before but I knew that he was a guy with a heart of gold. He walked up onto the stage and I felt my heart break for him. He looked terrified and like he was about to cry. I didn't know why. He looked strong and tough. It had come from all of the hours of throwing bags of flour over his shoulders. He would easily be able to snap me like a twig. The thought made my heart race slightly so I shook my head. I couldn't afford to think like that. Not when I hadn't even made it out of District 12 yet.

The only thing I needed to think about was how I was going to manage to get back home. Forget getting revenge on the District 2. That was only when I thought that I wouldn't be going into the Games. Now all I wanted was to get back home. I stared at Peeta as he walked over to me and I narrowed my eyes. It had been so long ago... Did he even remember me? I remembered him. But he had so many friends and so many people to speak to that I wouldn't mean anything. Maybe he would just think I looked familiar from school. We weren't in the same year but I had spotted him from time to time.

He would easily be able to pick out that we hadn't met in his family's bakery. I had never been in the bakery before. I couldn't afford their stuff so I never tried to go in there. Peeta's gaze was out in the audience. He had two older brother. One was likely too old to volunteer and the other wouldn't. Family didn't go too far in District 12. We all loved each other and families were close, but none would die for each other. Not the kids, at least. What Katniss and I had done was a rarity.

As Peeta was brought over to the microphone, Effie moved me over and had me stand shoulder to shoulder with Peeta. She was just behind us and standing in between our bodies. Now that he was closer I could see that Peeta definitely was shaking. Peeta wasn't very tall, not anywhere near Gale, but he still towered over me. And I knew that there would be Tributes who would tower over him. I would look like a shrimp compared to the rest of them. His biceps were almost the size of my head.

"Here we are. Our Tributes from District 12. Well, go on you two. Shake hands," Effie told me. I faced Peeta and gave him a firm handshake. His grip was tight and I could feel his hand shaking. I was sure that mine was too. "Happy Hunger Games. And be the odds be ever in your favor."

As the theme of the Capitol began to play, I was turned around by Peacekeepers and lead into the Justice Building where I would get a brief chance to say goodbye to my loved ones. This would very well be the first and only time that I would ever be inside the Justice Building. I would only return to the building if I won the Games. I turned back before the doors were closed and saw that Gale, his family, Katniss, Prim, and their mother were all standing together and watching me. Prim was buried in Ms. Everdeen's chest. I stared at them but the doors closed a moment later and I was dragged into the building.

Immediately I knew that the Justice Building was the nicest place that I had ever been in before. I walked forward through the building and stared in awe at the interior. I was sure that it was nothing compared to the Capitol, but it was the nicest place that I had ever seen. I couldn't even imagine that the Capitol was nicer than this. The walls were painted a pristine white and the floors were a black and white marble. There were paintings that decorated the walls and I was positive that they were worth more than all of District 12 together.

It didn't even make sense to me that something this nice could be in District 12. Even the richest in the merchant sector were far too poor to have anything like this. The Peacekeepers that were following me grabbed my arm and led me into a small room. I stumbled over my feet as they pulled me in another direction. Throwing me forward again I stumbled slightly. Catching myself just before I could fall forward, I turned back to the Peacekeepers to give them a piece of my mind. It was too late. They had already closed the wooden door.

"Assholes," I muttered.

Hopefully they would get theirs one day. I had to imagine that they would. Either before or after they died. I slowly turned around and saw that the room that I was in was bigger than my house. Not that my house was anything impressive. It was probably even bigger than the Everdeen house. They didn't have a ton of money either but they certainly had a large house than I did. It was strange seeing that one room was more than ours were combined.

Next to me was a long brown leather couch that looked incredibly uncomfortable. There was a small glass table in front of the couch and a wooden table next to the couch. Other than that, the room was barren. There weren't even any windows. Although I didn't need any windows to know that there were Capitol photographers on the outside of the walls of the Justice Building. Even though we were the District 12 Tributes a picture of us would be treasure for the Capitol tabloids. A picture of the Tributes before they arrived in the Capitol was rare.

The door opening shocked me away from my thoughts. The Peacekeepers had opened the door. I had forgotten that I would get to say goodbye to my loved ones. "You have three minutes," the Peacekeepers told whoever was behind the door.

They weren't talking to me. They were talking to whoever was waiting to speak to me. I knew who I wanted it to be. The Peacekeepers walked away and Prim came running into the room, followed by Katniss and their mother. The door closed behind them and I gulped. This could be the last three minutes that I would ever have with these three women. I would make every second count. Prim came running up to me and I grunted as she barreled into me, still crying softly.

"Prim, Prim, it's okay. Shh. Prim, I don't have much time. Prim, listen. You're gonna be okay. You all will be. Both of you, don't take any extra food for money. That isn't worth putting your name in more times, okay? Listen, Prim. Gale and Katniss will bring you game. And you keep getting cheese from your goat. Do you understand me?" I asked her.

She nodded at me and buried her tear-streaked face into my dress. She sniffed and looked up to me, with our arms wrapped around each other. "Just try to win. Maybe you can," she said.

There was the tinniest glimmer of hope in her eyes. I blinked back the tears that were rising to my eyes. "Maybe I can, I am smart you know? And I'm kind of cute, maybe I'll get a few votes," I told Prim, winking at her, hoping that it would earn me a smile.

It did. She laughed through her tears and nodded. I even heard a small laugh from Katniss. "You can hunt too," Prim told me.

I nodded at her. "Exactly," I said, moving to face Katniss. "It's to protect you. To protect both of you. And that's why I did it. Because I love the both of you," I said as I hugged Katniss.

"We love you too," Katniss responded.

The fear was gone. It was replaced by a ferocity. I leaned into her ear and dropped my voice. "You listen to me. You know what I want in these Games. I want revenge and you will not argue with me. I won't come back. I know that. There will be people stronger than me. But I will fight. And you make sure that if it looks like I'm about to die, you make Prim leave that room. Understand?" I asked.

She moved away from me. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"I have to do it," I said, ignoring the looks that I was getting from Ms. Everdeen and Prim.

"You don't. Come back home," Katniss begged.

"I'll try."

She nodded and I smiled at her. "Thank you," Mr. Everdeen said.

I turned to her. I smiled at her and shook my head. "Don't thank me. You and your daughters are family to me. My only family. I would die to protect them. But you need to listen to me. You can't tune out again," I told her sharply.

She shook her head at me with a grateful look in her eyes. "I won't," she said.

Glaring at her, I grabbed her shoulders and gave her a tiny shake. "No, you can't. Not like when your husband died. I won't be here anymore. Your daughters will only be able to support you for so long. Who knows what could happen if one of them gets Reaped in the future. No matter what you feel, you will be there for them. You understand?" I asked.

She nodded and I saw that she was bursting into tears. The entire Everdeen family was. "Don't go," Prim begged.

"I have to. Remember what Katniss and I used to tell you when we first started going hunting? Remember that?" I asked Prim. She shook her head. "We used to tell you that it wasn't goodbye. It was just I'll see you soon. That's what this is."

"Really?" Prim asked sadly.

"Really."

I pulled them into me and wrapped my arms around them. The hug tightened as their bodies wracked with sobs. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from crying as well. "Be strong, alright?" Katniss offered.

"Always."

"You can do this. You're tough. I know you are," she said.

"I know. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't," I said.

Although I wasn't really sure if I was saying it to the Everdeen's or myself. Maybe both. The door opened and I jumped away from the women. "It's time," the Peacekeeper that opened the door told me.

I took a deep breath and nodded, moving to the side to let the Everdeen's leave. As Katniss and her mother walked by, they both gave me small hugs. "Good luck sweetheart. Thank you," Ms. Everdeen said.

"Be careful out there. See you soon," Katniss said.

But when Prim walked by, she latched onto me. "It's okay. Prim, it's okay," I told her, as the Peacekeeper walked into the room and pulled her off of me.

Katniss quickly stepped in and grabbed Prim away from the Peacekeeper, pulling the younger girl out of the room. "No! No!" she screamed as she was dragged out of the room.

As she was taken out of the room, I took a deep breath and looked at the younger girl who had tears streaming down her red face. "I promise, Prim," I called softly to the young girl.

Maybe it was a real promise. Maybe it wasn't. I certainly hoped that it was. I wanted to see her again. I wanted to see them all again and I wanted to get the chance to come back to District 12. I wanted to see my home again. I just had to pray that I would be back here in a few weeks. The door slammed closed and I took a deep breath, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall. I sat down on the brown couch and let my head drop into my lap. My entire frame was shaking. A minute passed before the door opened again.

There was no announcement this time. When I looked up, I was surprised to see it was the baker, Peeta Mellark’s father. I couldn’t believe he’d come to visit me. After all, I'd be trying to kill his son soon. But we did know each other a bit, and he knew Prim even better. When she would sell her goat cheese at the Hob, she would put two of them aside for him. He would give her a generous amount of bread in return. We always waited to trade with him when his witch of a wife wasn’t around because he was so much nicer. But why did he come to see me?

Peeta saved my life a number of years ago. Mine and Katniss's. It was a story that I didn't like to think about, particularly now. Not when I realized that I owed Peeta something. But I couldn't owe him my life. I had a family to come back to just like he did. For a moment I wondered if the baker wanted to beg me for Peeta's life. Maybe he knew about Peeta's rescue of Katniss and I a few years ago. He said nothing about it. The baker sat awkwardly on the edge of one of the plush chairs. He was a big, broad-shouldered man with burn scars from years at the ovens. He must have just said goodbye to his son.

All I could think about while we sat together was what I could say when he started begging for Peeta's life. I knew that I owed Peeta and I knew that he was vital to the bakery, but there was one large issue. I didn't want to die. If I had to I would, hence why I was here right now, but I really didn't want to. Instead the baker pulled a white paper package from his jacket pocket and held it out to me. I took it, hoping that it wouldn't kill me. I opened it and found a small batch of cookies. They were a luxury that we couldn't afford.

“Thank you,” I said. The baker wasn't a very talkative man in the best of times, and today he has no words at all. “I had some of your bread this morning. My friend Gale gave you two squirrels for it." He nodded, as if remembering the squirrels. “Not your best trade."

He shrugs as if it couldn’t possibly matter. My mind raced with things that I could say to him. I could have said that I was sorry that Peeta was Reaped, I could have said that I wished him luck, and I could have offered to share the cookies. But none of those things came out. I was left with absolutely nothing in my head. No matter what I knew I should say, I couldn’t think of anything else. Not when I was too busy thinking about my own safety. So we sat in silence until a Peacekeeper summoned him. He rose and coughed to clear his throat.

“I’ll keep an eye on the little girl. Make sure she’s eating,” the baker said.

"Thank you," I whispered.

It was something that he didn't have to do. It was something that I knew that his wife would have a fit over if she realized that he was offering someone food for free. But it didn't matter. If he was going to offer Prim and Katniss some form of safety, that was all that I needed. Just in case there was another lean winter in the near future. I felt some of the pressure in my chest lighten at his words. People had always dealt with Katniss and me, but they were genuinely fond of Prim. Maybe there would be enough fondness to keep her alive.

For a while the room was plunged back into silence. I almost liked it. But then my thoughts started to wander to the Games. I started thinking about the cruelest things that I had ever seen in the Hunger Games. There had been the first Quarter Quell - the twenty-fifth Games - when the Districts had been forced to elect their own Tributes. There was one year where one of the Tributes had gone insane and started eating the Tributes he'd killed. There had been many where supplies were destroyed in variously terrible ways by the Gamemakers.

Some of the painful moments were things that the average person could make it through, as long as they were careful. Some Games were harder than the others. I would have to pray that this was an easier year. Maybe it would, with a Quarter Quell in line next year. Not even a moment later the door slammed back open and Gale ran into the room. I jumped up and dashed over to him, throwing myself into his arms. I knew what he was going to ask me so I let myself fall from his grip and nodded at him.

"I'm fine," I told him.

I knew that he wouldn't believe me. After all, I was shaking like mad. Gale shook his head at me and grabbed me by my upper arms. "You don't know -" he began.

"I am," I said.

There were so many ways to tell me that he was sorry or that I didn't deserve this. But I didn't want to hear an emotional speech. I wanted advice. I wanted to hear my best friend. Hell, I wanted this to be some girl that I didn't know who was sitting here. I wanted to be out of this building. I wanted to be excused from these Games. I wanted my parents to be alive. But often we don't get the things that we want. And this was one of those times. Gale nodded at me and took a deep breath.

"Listen to me. You're stronger than they are," Gale said.

I began to shake my head but he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "The Careers, Gale -"

"Are nothing. Just trained in their own way. You're strong. Get to a bow. Get some knives. How will you show them how good you are? They just want a good show. That's all they want."

I shook my head, starting to get nervous now. This was all becoming real all too quickly. "People always go for the knives," I moaned.

"That's why they always have a ton of them," Gale argued.

"Gale, they don't always have a bow,” I said.

That was the truth. I tried very hard not to think about the year that the only weapons were spiked maces that the Tributes had to use to bludgeon each other to death with. "What if I don't get there in time?" I asked, the panic clear in my eyes.

He shook his head at me and lifted my chin so that I was looking him in the eyes. "You will. You're fast. If they don't have a bow, then you make one. Okay?” he asked. 

“They don’t always have wood.”

Unfortunately there were a number of years that they either hadn't had wood or had a minimal amount. I'd tried to build a weapon before and it definitely wasn't an easy proposition. There was a good chance that I would never be able to get my hands on a weapon. All I could remember was that, another year, they tossed everybody into a landscape of nothing but boulders and sand and scruffy bushes. I had particularly hated that year. Many contestants were bitten by venomous snakes or went insane from thirst.

“There’s almost always some wood. Since that year half of them died of cold. Not much entertainment in that," Gale said.

It’s true. The two of us and Katniss had spent one Hunger Games watching the players freeze to death at night. I remembered it being the one Hunger Games that we'd allowed Prim to watch, since it hadn't been that graphic. You could hardly see the Tributes because they were just huddled in balls and had no wood for fires or torches or anything. It was considered very anticlimactic in the Capitol, all those quiet, bloodless deaths. Since then, there had usually been wood to make fires.

“Yeah. There’s usually wood,” I agreed. 

“As for the knives... Aspen, you're the fastest person that I know. You beat them to the Cornucopia and then you run like hell, got it?" Gale asked.

"Okay," I muttered.

"You know how to hunt."

Grimacing at the thought, I looked at Gale and shook my head. Some of them probably acted like it, but they weren't animals. They didn't act the same and they wouldn't fall for the same tricks. "They're not animals," I said, now feeling sick to my stomach.

Gale shook his head at me and gave me a quick hug. "It's no different, Aspen," he said.

But it was different. It was so different. They were humans. The things that I had hunted were always animals. I didn't even like doing that. I just did it so that we could all eat. But I had to start thinking different. This was the Hunger Games. There was no decency. I didn't want to think it, but I knew that he was right. Deep down, we were all just sacks of meat. Some of us just bigger than others. With a fearful face I looked at Gale with a fear that he had only seen on my face once before this day.

"There's twenty four of us Gale and only one comes out," I said, with a slight crack in my voice.

Brushing my hair off of my face, Gale leaned down and gave me a tight squeeze around my middle section. "Yeah. And it's gonna be you," he said.

But what if it wasn't? There were so many people that would be stronger than me. He straightened up and poked me in the chest. I smiled and stared up at him, drinking in his face like it would be the last time that I would ever see him. It very well might be. I had never realized that he was so much taller than me. He must have towered a foot over me. Without getting a moment to think, Gale leaned down and pushed his lips onto mine. I had no time to think. I just stood there stupidly. After a moment I kissed him back, only for the door to slam open.

I pulled back and gave Gale a quick hug as the Peacekeeper entered the room. "Take care of them Gale. Whatever you do, don't let them starve!" I yelled to him, as he was pulled from the room.

I wanted to run after him, but all that would get me was a beating for not following the rules. That wasn't what I needed right before training. "Let's go!" the Peacekeeper yelled at Gale, who was fighting to stay in the room.

"I'll see you soon okay? I love you!" Gale yelled.

Just as soon as he got the words out the door slammed shut. And like that I was alone again. I knew that there was no way that he would hear anything that I shouted after him - as the doors were solid oak - so I settled on the fact that he knew that I loved him too. I sighed and plopped back down onto the couch. Had the situation not been life or death I would have been an utter wreck by now. There was no chance for me. Not anymore. I had always been confident that if I was to ever be Reaped, I would have a fighting chance. But now my confidence had gone down drastically.

I thought about District 1 and 2. They would be the Career Tributes. They were named so because they trained year-round for the Games and when they turned eighteen, they would volunteer. Competing in the Games was an honor for them. Winning was even more of an honor. District 4 was also a Career District, but they weren't as loyal to the system. They trained but there weren't always volunteers and they didn't have the money or resources to train like District 1 and 2 did. Either way, that was already four - maybe six - tough competitors.

There was also the issue that Peeta was a large guy and I was definitely in somewhat of a debt to him. That now made either five or seven tough competitors. If it was seven, that would be almost a third of the field. That would make my case almost impossible. The good thing was that they had a downfall too. The Career Tributes were often too overconfident. They didn't like to think before they acted on anything and frequently didn't think things through. That was what mostly led to the demise of the Career Tributes. Or the fact that they spend all of their time training in strength.

They don't bother to learn to live off of the land or learn what to do if they got injured. But they normally had Sponsors - people that use their money to send Tributes that they are supporting things that they need. Things like food, water, or medical supplies. I hoped that I had a shot at Sponsors, but who knew. The vast majority of Sponsors normally supported the Career Tributes. Sometimes they supported the younger kids out of pity or the prettier Tributes. But it's always a matter of time before they die too. It's the ones who actually show promise that have Sponsors the longest.

Shaking my head of the thoughts I tried to shift my focus. To anything other than the Games. I would have enough time by myself over the next week and whatever time would follow in the arena afterwards. I would have plenty of time to think about the Games. But what about what had just happened? I raised my hands to my lips as they felt like they were on fire. Gale had kissed me. Why? Because I was doomed to die? Or did he really think of me as something more? He had said 'I love you,' but we said that to each other all the time. Was this something more?

Without realizing it at first, I finally realized that I had a stupid smile plastered on my face. Gale had just given me my first kiss. And he knew that. He knew that it was my first kiss. When we were little, we had made each other a promise that we would each be the other's first kiss. It was something that we had never told Katniss. Maybe that was why he had done it. But I would have thought that he had forgotten about that promise by now. It had been about ten years since we had decided that.

The thought that I might only kiss someone once before I died was unnerving. So instead I thought about the fact that I should have been grateful that I'd even gotten one. There were twelve-year-old kids that had come into the Games that had barely even had their first crush by the time that they were trying to kill other kids. At least I'd gotten some time to be a child. Not that I was ever really a child. I shook my head at myself again. Katniss would be laughing at me right now.

Here I was, fretting over some guy that had kissed me before heading to what could very well be my death. But it wasn't just some guy. It was Gale. The Gale that had helped me learn to fight, had held me when I cried, and had been there through everything. It really was common knowledge that Gale would likely marry either Katniss or me, but we had never thought anything of it. There was the comforting thought that Katniss would have someone to always be there and love her. If I couldn't be with Gale, I was glad that Katniss would be. It wouldn't be easy to get over my death, but with each other, they would be able to do it.

It was intimidating how easily I had given up hope that I would make it back alive to my friends, but I was just being realistic. As much as I wanted to think that I could shoot someone down with a knife or arrow, if someone got too close and I got engaged in hand-to-hand combat, I would likely lose. If I competed against a guy Gale's size, he could probably easily take me down in a match of strength. I only had my speed and flexibility. And unless I had a chance to run, I didn't think that doing back flips would get me out of trouble.

As my mind raced with thoughts of a potential arena for this year the door flew open, and had I not been sitting I probably would have fallen over in surprise. I hadn't been expecting any other visitors. Even Peeta's father had been a shock. But when the door opened I saw that it was Madge Undersee who walked into the room. And she looked terrified to be here. I stood up and met her halfway across the room. Madge and I weren't good friends, but I sold her father, the mayor, strawberries and would occasionally speak with her.

"Madge? What are you doing here?" I asked the younger girl.

Madge was only fifteen but she was wise beyond her years. She was almost always saying sweet things. I Noticed that she was wearing a nice dress that cost more than my house. It was an area of contempt from Gale. He was not fond of the mayors daughter. Madge, Katniss, and I had been friends, but the three of us weren't extremely close. Madge had mostly spent time with her friends that were from the merchant sector. Although she had always claimed that it was because her father made her. Still, Katniss and I were cautious letting her know about any of our illegal hunting activities.

The younger girl ran up to me and had me sit down on the couch with her. "How are you?" Madge asked.

"As good as can be expected," I answered honestly.

"Aspen, you have to listen to me. I don't have much time. I have to leave before the three minutes are up. My father and his people can't know that I was here."

"Okay," I said, nodding at the younger girl.

She reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out a small pin. "Wear this in the arena. They let you take one token into the arena from home. Promise me that it will be yours," she said.

The look in her eyes was urgent and I thought that she was about to cry. It wasn't like I had a token anyways, so I might as well appease the girl and wear it. Taking the pin from Madge, I smiled at her and pinned it on to my dress strap. It surprised me when Madge leaned forward and took the pin from my hands, pushing it a little further back into the material of the dress. I wondered if it would be important to someone. Perhaps they would take it if they realized that I had it.

"I promise, Madge. I'll wear it in the arena. For you," I said, as she moved forward and gave me a hug.

"Don't let anyone see that you have it. They will take it from you. Protect it with your life," Madge whispered in my ear before moving away from me. I nodded at her, stunned out of words. "And good luck."

Madge turned and walked away from me, slipping out of the door. "Thank you," I muttered. And once more, I was alone.

Taking a look down at the pin, it took me a moment to realize what it was. I gasped the moment that I realized what it was, slapping my hand over my mouth. My lips turned upwards in a quirk. It was a golden Mockingjay. I had never seen anything with a Mockingjay on it so blatantly displayed. It was pretty much a slap in the face to the Capitol. During the rebellion, the Capitol bred a Jabberjay - a muttation that could mimic any sound, even a human voice. The Capitol would send the birds to the Districts so that they could obtain information about strikes and where troops would be.

After a while the Districts learned what the Capitol was doing and they would send the birds back with false information, leading the Capitol troops into a trap. It wasn't long after that when the Capitol decided to destroy all of the Jabberjay's that they created and release the rest into the wild. As the birds were designed all female, the birds should have died off. Instead they mated with Mockingbird's, creating the Mockingjay. While they couldn't mimic voices, they could mimic sounds, like a song. There's a rumor that if they like your voice enough, they will sing with you.

We all knew that the whole point of the Mockingjay was to show the Capitol that they couldn't control everything. The Mockingjay was a symbol of hope against the Capitol, but very few people were fool enough to mention it or wear anything with one on it. I figured that I might as well. What could they do, kill me? I realized after a moment that it was exactly what Madge wanted. She wanted me to show the Capitol that they could not control me. She wanted me to be her Mockingjay. She wanted me to be a kick in the face to the Capitol.

Whether or not there was an actual reason for Madge wanting me to do it, I wasn't sure that I would ever know. I supposed that it didn't matter. I would be damned. I sure as hell would be her Mockingjay. The door once more opened and I scrambled to pull my hair over the pin, covering it just in time. I turned to the door and saw that this time it was a Peacekeeper. I scowled at the person who walked into the room. They wordlessly picked me up by the arm and dragged me out of the room.

As we walked out I saw through the windows that there were reporters lining the street, all behind a barricade that held a small black car. I knew enough to know that it was the car that would bring Peeta, Effie, and I to the train that would take us to the Capitol. I had never been in a car or on a train. I always had to walk everywhere. I blinked at the sudden light that filled my eyes as I was escorted out of the Justice Building and onto the street. The shouting of the audience had me closing my eyes and trying to block out the sound. It was all too much for me. These people were going to give me a heart attack.

Not soon enough, we made in to the car and I was shoved inside. It was a good thing that there were no photographers on the inside of the car. I practically fell against the floor of the car at the weight that the Peacekeepers threw me in with. The doors to the car were slammed closed behind me and I could finally hear past the shouts of my own name. I'd never heard so many people say my name. I sighed and leaned against the door, cooling my head off against the cold window.

"Pretty crazy out there, huh?" a voice called. I jumped and thrust my hand out at the mystery voice. "Aspen! We aren't in the Games yet you know."

It took me a moment to realize that it wasn't an attacker. It wasn't a Peacekeeper and it wasn't even Effie. It wasn't Haymitch either. I wasn't sure what had happened to it. It was just Peeta, who I must have almost fallen on before. By the looks of it he had been crying in the room. I didn't blame him, this wasn't an easy thing to go through. Being told that you would have to fight to the death and only had a four percent chance of surviving. That warranted crying. I couldn't help but to wonder if his father had told him that he was going to see me.

"Sorry," I muttered awkwardly.

"It's okay."

Despite my rather cool and standoffish behavior, it didn't seem to bother him. Peeta was still smiling at me as I dropped my hands and sat up against the door, trying to keep as much distance between us as I could. The same words were echoing in my head. He saved your life. Thank him. But something stopped me. If I felt gratitude towards him, I wouldn't be able to hurt him later. I knew that he was a good guy, but I wasn't willing to take a chance. Only one of us would come back, if even either of us. I didn't want to take the chance of getting to know each other too well. That was the last thing that either of us needed.

"Look, Aspen, I get that you probably don't want to be friends or anything. I get that. But, I mean, we're going to be living together for a few days. Might as well be friendly," he said.

No matter what he kept saying to me, I knew that he wouldn't talk about what had happened between us all those years ago. But I couldn't stop thinking about it. I shook my head at him and took a deep breath. Peeta looked like a nice guy so I wanted to let him down easy. If we didn't talk, we wouldn't get attached. Looking into his bright blue eyes, I lowered my own and sighed. I hoped that someone else would get to him in the arena. I didn't know if I could be the one to do it. Taking one last deep breath, I looked up at Peeta and steeled my nerves.

"Look, Peeta, you're a nice guy. That I'm sure of. But look at where we are. This isn't the time or place to make friends," I said gently.

Instead of getting angry with me or giving me a snarky retort, Peeta merely nodded sadly and looked out of the window. He had always been such a nice guy. Every time that we'd locked eyes in school or seen each other on my walk to the woods we had smiled and nodded at each other. We'd never said two words to each other but I'd hoped that one day I would be able to tell him thank you. Now I knew that I never would. Even worse, I hated that I had had to do that. But we couldn't afford to get too close. Not out here.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw that Effie had burst into the car and managed to squeeze her way in between Peeta and I. If I was ever going to be grateful to her, it was in that moment. Although I was quickly angered when her pointed heel went straight down on my foot. I was sure that she'd punctured it. At least I would know what a knife wound to the foot felt like, still nearly a week before I went into the arena. Effie's costume took up most of the seat, pressing Peeta and I into the corners.

"Isn't this just wonderful! You two are going to see the Capitol and it will be the most amazing thing you have ever seen!" Effie squealed.

Nothing that the Games could bring would be worse than having to listen to our fool of an Escort. I rolled my eyes and began to bang my head on the window as Effie prattled on. There was a small snort that came from my left and I turned to see that it was Peeta laughing at me. I gave him a small smile and went to simply resting my head on the window. I was pretty sure that we were close to the train station, but I felt like the driver was going as slow as possible to drag out my torture of listening to Effie.

"And Aspen!" Effie squealed.

I looked over at her with a cocked eyebrow. "What?" I asked, figuring that I'd already done something wrong.

"There will be closets and wardrobes full of clothes that are being tailored to you right as we speak!"

Scowling at Effie, I whirled around on her and glared at her. "Making closets and wardrobes full of clothes?" I asked.

"Yes. Everything you could imagine!"

"Most of the clothes that I'll never even have a chance to wear. Do you know what an absolute waste that is? How many of those fabrics could be sold to feed an entire District? For a week! No. Of course not. All your people are worried about is how you look and how long your Tribute will survive. You have no idea what life is really like. No idea what fear really is," I growled at her.

So maybe that wasn't really fair of me to say. In fact I knew that it wasn't fair. Effie had been raised to be the way that she was. But that didn't change the fact that, just the way that Gale hated that Madge was always nervous for the Reapings, I hated Effie for not realizing how insensitive she was. I had thought that she would reprimand me, but instead she just sat in her seat for a moment in silence. I had clearly stunned her out of words. I felt a tiny bit bad for what I had said but Effie deserved to hear it. She had no idea what life in the Districts was really like.

"Well," Effie began, "that's an atrocious attitude that will have to be fixed." Unable to help myself, I rolled my eyes. Naturally my attitude was the only thing that she was worried about. "But in the meantime, we're here!"

She was now clapping happily. We had finally arrived at the train station. It turned out that I was right not to cry. The station was swarming with reporters. It was the first time that I'd seen real people from the Capitol and it was the first time that I'd seen high-tech cameras. The ones in District 12 were old and barely worked. The cameras were trained directly on my face. Over the years I’d had a lot of practice at wiping my face clean of emotions so I did it now. I managed to catch a glimpse of myself on the television screen on the wall that was airing my arrival live. I was gratified that I appeared almost bored.

Unfortunately getting on the train wasn't as easy of a proposition as I had originally thought. I'd figured that we might have been checked over and then allowed on or maybe been forced to remove our clothing and change, but none of that happened. It was much worse. We were forced to stand for a few minutes in the doorway of the train while the cameras gobbled up our images. They would send them ahead for the Capitol magazines to print in the morning. Finally we were allowed inside and the doors closed mercifully behind us. The train began to move at once.

As I gathered my footing, I marveled at the train. I had never seen one before, only briefly on the television during the Games. The damn thing was huge and looked like some type of futuristic time-travel machine. Effie grabbed my arm as I stared in a trance at the train and pulled me further inside. She began to walk away but I stood at the entrance of the train and watched until we started going through the underground dams. I wanted to get as long as possible to look at my District before the time came that I might not ever see it again. My last view was the hill that Gale and Katniss shared with me.

As the doors closed, I blinked back tears and walked over to where Effie and Peeta were waiting for me. She smiled and I blew out a short breath, ready to get this over with. “Crystal chandeliers. Platinum donuts. The train moves two hundred miles per hour and you can barely feel a thing. I think it's rather a wonderful thing is about this opportunity. That even though you're here and even though it's just for a little while. You get to enjoy all of this," she said brightly.

It was already becoming habit for me to roll my eyes at Effie. I turned to get a good look at the train interior. That was when the train finally hit full speed. No matter what Effie said, I felt the train moving. The speed initially took my breath away. Of course, I’d never been on a train, as travel between the Districts is forbidden except for officially sanctioned duties. That wasn't me. For those in District 12, that’s mainly transporting coal. But this was no ordinary coal train. It’s one of the high-speed Capitol models. Our journey to the Capitol would take less than a day.

As everyone starts to walk around I thought about the place that I was leaving. In school, they told us all about where the Districts and Capitol were situated in regards to the country that we'd come from. The place that had once been the United States of America. Now we just knew that the Capitol was built in a place once called the Rockies. District 12 was in a region known is Appalachia. I knew that District 4 was in what had once been the south. Even hundreds of years ago, they mined coal in what was now District 12. Which was why our miners had to dig so deep.

Somehow it all comes back to coal at school. Besides basic reading and math most of our instruction was always coal-related. Except for the weekly lecture on the history of Panem. I wished that they would tell us more about before Panem. Instead it was mostly a lot of blather about what we owe the Capitol. I had always known that there must be more than they were telling us, an actual account of what happened during the rebellion. But I never had spent much time thinking about it. Whatever the truth was, I didn’t see how it would help me get food on the table.

Not wanting to think about school either, I looked a little closer around. The train was still huge on the inside; bigger than I had thought it could be. There was a huge wooden table along with paintings that were lining the wall. A huge crystal chandelier - just like Effie had said - and food that was in bowls all along the table. I had to bite my lip to keep from diving into the food. Judging by the signs on the doors, the car in front of us was the living area and the car behind us was the bar. I was sure that we would find Haymitch in there.

Effie cleared her throat and turned her body to the back car. "I'm going to find Haymitch. He's probably in the back car," she said, before walking off.

It left Peeta and me sitting awkwardly in chairs. I sighed and stood up, walking into the middle of the room. I still felt a little useless. Peeta finally walked over to the small sitting area, and pointed to the seat next to him. "Wanna sit?" he asked politely.

"I'm gonna check out the train. Wanna come?" I offered, trying to remember to be civil.

We weren't in the Games just yet. "Sure," Peeta said.

Effie returned just moments later. She hadn't found Haymitch but she was excited that we wanted to take a tour of the rest of the train. I wasn't paying much attention as she walked us around, I just wanted to think about something else. For a while we were allowed to walk around and explore the train. The Tribute train was fancier than even the room in the Justice Building. We were each given our own chambers that had a bedroom, a dressing area, and a private bathroom with hot and cold running water. We didn’t have hot water at home, unless we boiled it.

That was something that I knew that Peeta did have back in his home in the merchant sector. He didn't look quite as surprised as I was. It seemed like there was something called a shower that we used to bathe. I wasn't sure what it was but I refused to ask how it worked. I didn't want to sound that moronic. In each of our rooms there were drawers filled with fine clothes. We mostly walked past Peeta's but Effie told me to do anything I wanted, wear anything I wanted, and how everything was at my disposal. It made me sick to see how much there was.

The only rule was that the two of us had to be ready for supper in an hour. We had ended up going back to the main car of the train to wait for Haymitch to come and talk to us. I knew that we both just wanted to get the waiting over with. I noticed that the chairs that we were sitting in were completely circular. There wasn't a dent in the chair or a curve that showed that someone had been sitting in it for a long time. That was the one way that I could describe everything on the Tribute train. Perfect. And plastic. Nothing was real.

There was no smell of fresh trees or shouts from the people working at the Hob. There was nothing. Only quiet. Even the train was silent. Now I couldn't feel it move in the slightest. All of the furnishings were either glass or some type of man-made material. There was no real wood anywhere in sight. No natural colors. Only bright greens, pinks, and yellows. No dark browns or time-stained whites. Everything was too clean. Too new. I couldn't stand it. I wanted the smell of home. Pine needles and wood. It made the air smell like Christmas - a holiday that was apparently very popular before the first rebellion - year-round.

As Peeta had been sitting in the chair I'd made my way back and forth through the main train car. I knew that I should sit down and be quiet and wait for someone to come and tell us to do something, I couldn't bring myself to do that. All I wanted was to go on a run. I hated sitting this still. I never did. Not even back at home. When Katniss and Prim weren't free I went and did something with Gale. Finally, with nothing more to do, I made my way back into the living room. Peeta was still sitting there. He hadn’t moved since coming back from the tour.

We sat in silence for just a little while. "You even met him?" Peeta asked.

I had been so involved in my own thoughts that I'd almost forgotten that Peeta was here. I rose my eyebrows at Peeta's question. "What?" I asked.

He smiled lightly at me. "Haymitch?" he clarified.

"No," I muttered.

The closest that I had gotten to meeting Haymitch was today at the Reaping. His arm wrapped around me was the first time that he'd ever touched me. I was definitely hoping that it would be the last. Slightly uncomfortable at Peeta's gaze, I looked away. I had heard plenty of stories about Haymitch during my life and I had seen him at the Hob liquor merchant's stand more than once, but I had never spoken to the man directly. Very few people had. He wasn't known to be very nice.

"You know, Aspen, he is our Mentor. He did witness things once," Peeta said, probably trying to get me to talk to him. I merely kept my gaze looking away from him. "Look!" The raise of Peeta's volume finally attracted my attention. "You know if you don't want to talk, I understand. But I just don't think there's anything wrong of getting a little bit of help."

Honestly I felt bad for the way that I was acting towards Peeta. He seemed like such a sweet guy, and I had every reason to know that he was an inherently nice person, but I didn't want to get close to him and then have to kill him. I would feel bad enough just knowing that he was dead. I was better off just trying to avoid him as much as possible until we were in the arena. A clapping from the back of the room caught my attention and I slowly broke the awkward eye contact that I had going with Peeta.

Peeta looked like he was about to stand up, but the second that he realized that Haymitch was headed towards the bar he sat back down. Haymitch glanced over towards us and nodded. "Congratulations," he said softly and almost teasingly.

In that moment, despite having gotten close to him earlier, I laid my eyes on Haymitch Abernathy up-close for the first time. While we had been on the stage I'd been so shocked that I hadn't really processed the way that he looked. He looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days or washed his clothes recently. His hair was long and blonde, scraggly too. But it was the glaze over his eyes that told me that he had already been drinking. He probably drank from sun-up to sun-down.

He had an empty glass in his hands as he walked past. He ran his hands over the bottles on the counter for a moment before picking up one with an amber colored liquid in it. He raised the bottle up to his mouth, took the cap in between his lips, pulled it off of the glass bottle, and poured himself a glass. He closed off the bottle before picking up the lid of a silver canister. I wasn't quite sure what was supposed to be in there.

"Where's the ice?" Haymitch asked us.

So it held ice. Even about ten feet away I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Or maybe it was the alcohol in the glass. It seemed that Peeta smelled the same thing as he recoiled away from our Mentor. The man that was supposed to be working to keep us alive was too drunk to even find the damn ice. Haymitch looked at me and I could have sworn I saw a small spark of recognition. But maybe it was just the haze of the liquor. Instead of me having to say something, Peeta stepped in to save me from our Mentor's heavy stare.

"I don't... I don't know," Peeta mumbled.

Haymitch glanced at him before nodding and irritably slamming the lid of the ice bucket back on. I came very close to jumping at the sudden movement. Peeta seemed very determined to get Haymitch to speak with us. Haymitch picked up the glass of the amber liquid and grabbed the bottle of the same liquid in the other. Peeta scooted into his chair slightly so that Haymitch could take a seat in one of the chairs across from us. After a beat of silence Peeta cleared his throat in the awkward silence.

"Okay, so uh... so when do we start?" Peeta asked, trying to make the air in the room even slightly less awkward.

Haymitch groaned and put a hand up to stop Peeta, pushing his hair back. "Whoa. Whoa. Why so eager?" he asked Peeta, who looked looked shocked at Haymitch's words. "Most of you are in such a hurry."

Haymitch raised the drink to his lips in a long sip. It looked like Peeta was going to say something else but I spoke over him. "Maybe because you're supposed to be the man that helps us. Not dooms us before we even leave the borders of District 12," I snapped at our Mentor.

There went my mouth working faster than my brain did. It was a problem that I'd had since I was a little kid. I hadn't meant to say anything but Haymitch wasn't exactly being very helpful here. He was only making me gradually angrier and angrier. His carelessness was probably the reason that District 12 hadn't had a Victor since himself. He was probably the reason that my parents weren't around. So maybe that was a bit unfair to blame him for their deaths, but hey that was life. Unfair. To my surprise, Haymitch didn't ignore the comment or come back with an even worse one.

He just turned to me and nodded with a sad look. One that I had never thought that he was capable of possessing. "I knew you looked familiar," he muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"I knew the last name sounded familiar too. You have your father's temper. And you look just like your mother," he told me softly.

I stared at Haymitch in shock. I had been so caught up in the fact that I was in the Games that I hadn't even realized what the obvious truth was. The one thing that I could play into and the one thing that might actually give me an edge over the others. Haymitch must have been both my mother and father's Mentor. I was pretty sure that he was forty now, so that meant that he had mentored my mother when he was twenty-one and my father when he was nineteen.

"You mentored my parents?" I asked Haymitch.

I wasn't really sure if I was asking a question or stating a fact, but it didn't matter. Haymitch nodded and gave me a good once over. "Yeah I did. They were some of the first Tributes that I ever mentored. I liked them both. Your father was determined to see his baby. People thought that he would never get to find out if he had a boy or a girl, but I have connections. When your mother gave birth to you I had someone on standby to let me know what you were. I sent him the note saying that he had a baby girl," he said.

"Thank you," I muttered, unsure of why I'd said it.

"You should watch that video clip some time. Doesn't really matter. It was later that day that your father bit it."

I clenched my teeth at Haymitch's attitude at the end of the story, but it broke my heart too. Mostly because I could tell that my father's death had been something that had weighed heavily on Haymitch's mind. I'd always thought that he was just a damned drunk with too much money, but maybe there really were things that he was trying to forget. I also didn't know that my father had died the day that I was born. I just knew that he had never met me. I didn't want to ask, but some part of me wanted to know.

"What about my mother?" I asked Haymitch with clenched fists.

He seemed to think for a minute before he let a sad look cross his face. "Your mother I remember well too. She got here a blubbering mess. She wasn't afraid of dying, she was afraid to leave you alone. But your friends, the Everdeen's, swore to take care of you," Haymitch said. That part I knew. "She was well loved but she didn't make it. But I suppose you knew that."

My throat felt like it had closed. I wasn't upset. I was actually quite relieved to hear just a little bit about my parents. But now I was sure that I was going to cry. I stopped speaking, knowing that my voice was going to become weak. So I nodded at Haymitch and the train car went silent. I hoped that someone would say something, but for a long time no one did. The room was just silent. Finally after a few minutes, Peeta spoke up. And I couldn't have been happier.

"Yeah. I wanna know what the plan is. You're our Mentor, you're supposed to go..." Peeta trailed off as Haymitch put his hand up to stop his talking.

Haymitch leaned forward, resuming with his previously drunken behavior. "Mentor," Haymitch repeated.

Instead of losing his temper with our mentor like I would have, Peeta merely nodded at Haymitch. "Yeah. Our mentor is supposed to tell us how to get sponsors and give us advice," Peeta told him.

Yeah, he was supposed to. That was the problem with the Mentors in the inner Districts. They didn't have the time, compassion, or tolerance to really work for their Tributes. They knew who would really win the Games. Peeta could just look how well that worked out for the last twenty-three years of tributes that had sat here on this train. Look at how well that worked out for my mother and father. Haymitch looked like he had come to a revelation so he opened his mouth and smiled at the two of us.

"Oh, okay." I glared at the man, knowing that he wasn't going to give us any real advice. "Um... Embrace the probability of your immanent death. And know in your heart... that there's nothing I can do to save you," he told us.

My jaws clenched tightly together. I was sure that my teeth were going to break at any given second. No one had ever made me as angry as Haymitch did, save President Snow and Effie Trinket. I noticed that Haymitch had directed the last comment to me and I had to do everything in my power to keep myself from punching the older man where the sun didn't shine. Keeping my temper calm, I turned to my Mentor with a questioning look.

"So why are you here then?" I asked, a little snappier than I'd meant to, and knowing that he had to be.

But he didn't have to be in this car if he wanted. He could have been somewhere else. "The refreshments," Haymitch said, with a condescending smile.

“Okay, I think that's enough,” Peeta said.

The whole thing came very suddenly. Peeta leaned forward to try and take the glass away from our Mentor. He was right. Haymitch was drunk this morning and drinking like this would make him useless for the remainder of the train ride. I wanted to use this time for something good. Peeta had just barely grabbed the drink when Haymitch pulled his feet up and shoved a foot into Peeta's chest, pushing him back in the chair. I started slightly as the chairs were shoved backwards and groaned in disgust when I realized that Haymitch was barefoot.

If the air hadn't been awkward before, it was definitely awkward now. Haymitch was breathing heavily with his foot still on Peeta's chest, Peeta looked shocked at the turn of events, and I was staring stupidly. I was glad that he'd made the first move, because I'd been about ready to attack Haymitch. And that would not have been a pretty fight. As we all gathered our wits Haymitch gave us a look. Not an angry one, just a look. I couldn't quite tell what the look was for.

"You made me spill my drink over my new pants. You know... I think I'll go finish this in my room,” Haymitch said.

Haymitch got to his feet and brought the drink up in an imaginary toast. He turned in a circle and I noticed that he looked quite confused. It appeared that he didn't remember what he wanted to get before he left. All I knew was that I wanted him gone right about now. Had things been a little different I might have smiled at the sight that the back of his collar was torn. He grabbed a pastry off of one of the plates before leaving the car, leaving Peeta and I alone again.

“He’s gonna come around," Peeta mumbled.

It took no time for Peeta to go and push himself from the chair to follow Haymitch through the automatic doors that he had just left through. I couldn't believe that he was really going to go and try to do something after what had just happened. All I knew was that I would have never tried to go confront Haymitch after the awkward way that the three of us had just been introduced. They'd just fought together. They couldn't just go to talking about strategy. Could they? I shook my head at Peeta and leaned forward in my chair.

"What? It's no use," I said.

Peeta merely ignored me and walked over to the door. "I'm gonna go talk to him," he said.

That was all that was said between the two of us, even though I knew that Peeta was giving me a silent option to join him. I decided against it and watched as he walked through the door. As the automatic door slid shut again, I took a look around. Other than a fair bit of liquor spilled on the floor and one less person, nothing had changed about the room since I'd first come in. I was alone and I was afraid. Although it seemed like that was becoming a reoccurring theme lately. And I was sure that right now was far from being the last time that I felt this way.


	3. Chapter Three

Without all of the hustle and bustle of the Reaping, my time to say goodbyes, and the shock of sitting on the Tribute train, I was now sitting in silence. My brain had stopped working. It felt like someone had smashed me over the head with a hammer. My head was pounding from everything that had happened but I couldn't bring myself to think anymore about what was going to come. I would find out in time. There was no use panicking over it now. I had been sitting in the waiting room for almost a half an hour - with no indication that Peeta or Haymitch would be returning - when I finally rose to my feet.

My back cracked with every little movement that I made and I let out a small groan. My entire body had been so stiff in that chair that I had most likely looked like a statue. Not that it mattered, no one was around to take my picture. I knew that would soon change. It seemed that Peeta had worked it out with Haymitch and the two were most likely talking strategy. I would join them later. Any waiters or servants, or whatever they were called, were more than likely getting a feast together for tonight. Who the hell knew what Effie was doing. Fixing her hair or make up most likely.

Turning to the door that Peeta had walked through, I debated on going to try and join them. But maybe it wasn't a good idea. Instead of risking another awkward conversation with my Mentor, I turned to the other side of the car. It was the one that my chambers were down. I'd already been in my room but I hadn't actually looked around. Maybe I would take the chance to actually look around this time. It felt a little strange to be able to walk around freely. I'd thought that they were going to chain us to a wall until we were in the Capitol. I supposed that I was glad that it wasn't the case.

Feeling my heart pounding in my chest - and attempting to calm myself down - I began my walk through the hallway. My gaze had mostly been turned towards the ground when we'd walked over here before. I hadn't really been listening to Effie prattle off whatever she'd been talking about. I couldn't even remember where my damned quarters were. Not far down the hallway were two rooms that were marked for Haymitch and Effie. Just a little further down were another two rooms. The one on the right was marked 'Male' and the one on the left 'Female.'

That definitely wasn't something that I'd noticed the first time that we'd walked through. I scowled at how impersonal the doors were. They could have at least written our names on a piece of paper and put it up on the doors. It was just like we were something that would be traded for something new soon. A play toy that the Capitol could get rid of at the drop of a hat. Of course, that's essentially what we were. Something that the Capitol could use for entertainment for a few weeks and then get rid of, only to get a new plaything a few months later.

Shaking my head and clearing my thoughts, I walked up to the door and jumped slightly as the door slid open. It would take me a while to get used to the automatic doors. Walking in, I audibly gasped at the sight of the room. It really hadn't clicked with me earlier at how nice the room was. It was nicer than anything I had ever seen. The one bedroom was bigger than my house. It was bigger than the Everdeen house. It was bigger than the Justice Building room. The entire room was painted a deep green and it pained me to see it. The room reminded me of the forests back home.

It made me feel a little strange. All of this for someone that would only live in it for a few days. Not even. I'd only be in the room for tonight. We would be in the Capitol at some point tomorrow. I wished that we could have taken a few more days to get there. The bed was up on a slightly raised platform and it was bigger than the area that I called my bedroom. It looked pretty comfortable and I hated even thinking that. I walked slowly over to it and sank into the fluffy green and blue sheets. Some part of me couldn't help but smile at how soft the bed was. It was amazing.

My bed back home had always been lumpy with springs sticking out everywhere. This bed felt like I was laying on a cloud. Not wanting to fall asleep, I sat back up and looked at the bedside table. It was a dark wood, similar to the one that Katniss had given me. I smiled at the drawer and sat down in front of it, kicking my shoes off in the process. Pulling open the first of the drawers I went in search of something to wear. Something not too Capitol-esque. As I glanced into the drawer I nearly vomited at the sight. It was all pink and sparkly. What the hell was all of this?

Immediately I knew that it would take me an hour to find something acceptable. There was everything in the dresser and a whole other closet of things. But I'd already seen those. They were all dresses and the only dress that I wanted to be in was my mother's. I'd never felt more connected to her. I began to dig through the drawer, throwing everything to the side. It had been ten minutes and I still hadn't found anything that I wouldn't be mortified to wear in semi-public. I was about to go check the white closet in the other corner of the room when a voice from outside of the room startled me.

"Aspen? Are you in there?" Effie called in to me.

I thought about staying silent but I figured that it wouldn't do me any good. She would probably just come in anyways and then give me a lecture about not coming out when she called to me. "Yeah, Effie. Come on in," I called.

The door opened and Effie strode in. Her gaze went straight to the mess on the floor. "Oh..." Effie muttered.

"Sorry about the mess. I'll clean it up. I was just gonna get changed," I said, hoping that she would leave me alone.

Instead Effie squealed at what seemed like the top of her lungs. I rolled my eyes and groaned. I should have just pretended that I wasn't in here. "That's wonderful! You were being so indecisive," she said, smiling as she rooted through the things on the floor.

"There's lots to choose from," I said, trying not to insult her.

"There certainly is. That's okay, I can find you something. Something nice for dinner tonight," Effie babbled.

Obviously she wasn't going to let this go. I had been thinking about just putting the dress back on. I didn't want to make things even more complicated with an outfit that I couldn't figure out how to put on and I really wanted to be alone. Effie walked through the room muttering incessantly as she looked through the closet and the wardrobe next to it. I rolled my eyes, praying that she would give up and just leave. I stood up and walked over to the side of the room where Effie was.

"You know, Effie, I can just wear a shirt and jeans. You just have to point them out to me," I said.

Effie whipped back to me and shook her head in horror. "Absolutely not! That may be what you wear in District 12, but you're about to be in the Capitol. You finally get to dress like one of us," she said brightly.

I don't want to dress like one of you. But I didn't say that to her. I knew that it was the wrong thing to say. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I knew that Effie was one of the people who could really help me in the Games. She would get me Sponsors, something that I would really need. She began to dig through the wardrobe again before squealing like a little girl. I covered my ears and prayed that it was either a shirt and pants or that a lightening bolt would come from the Heavens and kill me. But naturally, neither of those happened.

"You know, Effie. Maybe I'll just keep this on. It isn't that bad after all," I said, trying to retreat into the bathroom, hoping that she wouldn't stop me.

"Come on now, Aspen. This is beautiful! Just wear it to dinner. You can shower first and then join everyone in the dining room. It's the same car that you came from. We're setting everything up now," she said.

"Okay," I muttered.

"Go shower and I'll see you out there in a bit!" Effie chirped.

Without giving me a chance to say anything else, she turned and walked out the door. I was about to ask what a shower was but I didn't want to sound like I was mentally deficient. I was bright enough to know that it was the strange bath contraption that I'd seen earlier. Like Peeta had said, it was some type of bath. It was even more high-tech than the one that he had at home. It was something that no one could afford in District 12. I looked at the dress and sighed. It wasn't terrible, but I sure didn't want to wear it. There was only one day a year that I wore a dress and that was today. Reaping Day.

The dress could have been worse. At least I wouldn't look like Effie. It was a simple white dress with thin straps. I was glad that I was short because the dress looked tiny. I was sure that it was the way that Effie liked to play her Tributes; innocent but sexy. She tended to do that with the older females from District 12. I knew that she was trying to give me an angle but I didn't have one. I was just as unlikable as the Games themselves. No one would have any reason to cheer for me. I could only pray that people would have a little sympathy for me after what had happened at my Reaping.

Laying the dress out on the bed, I prepared myself to get changed but stopped when I noticed that Effie was still in the room. "Uh, Effie? A little privacy please?" I asked her as nicely as I could.

I knew that once I was in the Capitol I would have cameras and voice monitors on me all the time, no matter where I was. While I was still on the train, I was going to savor all of the time that I had left to myself. "What?" Effie asked, looking surprised at my request.

"Sorry... I just live alone in District 12 and I'm used to it," I muttered awkwardly.

Effie smiled and nodded at me. "Absolutely, my dear. I'll just be in my room, working on a little press for you," she said.

"Press?" I asked, unsure of what she could possibly be pressing.

"Press. Think revealing you to the media," Effie explained.

"Oh..." I said dumbly. "I didn't think we were ready for that yet."

Effie merely smiled at me. "Oh, dearest, after what you did in the Reaping, people love you! Already you're a fan favorite," she said.

"Really?" I asked, stunned.

"Really. If you can impress in your interview with a good training score, Haymitch and I should have no problem getting Sponsors for you," she said.

"Thanks."

And I really was thankful. Even if I didn't win the Games, I did appreciate that they would try to keep me alive. I couldn't help but let a tiny smile cross my face at the thought. Sponsors were a surefire way to at least make it for a little while in the Games. Maybe make it all the way. Even if I didn't get a weapon they could give me one. Effie might not have been as useless as I had originally pegged her. As I grabbed the dress and began to unbutton the one that I was wearing, Effie stopped my hand and pointed me to a small door on the opposite side of the room.

"Bathroom," she explained.

"Right," I said, walking over towards it.

"You are beautiful, I can see that. But it's hidden deep under all of the... imperfections!" Effie smiled.

Any hope that I had for the woman diminished as I sneered at her. "Thanks," I growled.

Just before I closed the bathroom door, Effie put her hand in the doorway and popped her head in. "Also, I left you a tape on the bed. It's the other Reapings. Peeta has a copy as well. I think you'd do well to look them over," she said.

"Okay. Thanks," I said.

That was actually something useful she'd done. I waited until I could hear the door hiss closed behind her before letting the dress that I was wearing drop to the floor. It splayed out around me. Unsure of what to do with it, I kicked it to the side of me and took a good look around the room. The bathroom was a pure white and I laughed at the fact that my feet were already making small brown spots on the floor. I stared at myself in the full length mirror and nodded. I looked like a typical District 12 resident. But I knew that as soon as I got to the Capitol I would look like one of them.

Walking over to the tall glass stall I figured that this was the shower. I looked for the dial that would turn the water on, but all I saw was a glass pad. "What the hell is this?" I grumbled to myself.

Who would design something like this? Were bathtubs really such a terrible thing? I knew that I was an intelligent person but I felt like a damn moron right now. I couldn't even figure out how to properly bathe myself. Walking into the shower, I looked at the pad. The whole thing looked like it was in another language. I had no idea what any of it was. Finally, after scanning the pad over a couple of times, I saw the water dial. Not knowing what else to do, I poked the dial and the water began to pour from the ceiling.

Not expecting the water to come from the roof, I shouted in shock. Thankfully no one had heard me. I went silent for a few moments to ensure that Peeta, Haymitch, and Effie were too far away to hear me. The water was freezing when it first hit me, but after a few moments it began to warm up. Oddly enough, to almost the perfect temperature. I couldn't help but wonder if the shower had some type of mind reading device or something. That would have been fascinating. Maybe it was a District 3 thing.

It was the first time that I'd ever bathed with warm water before. It felt strange but absolutely wonderful. I stared at the floor of the shower and watched as the water turned from the crystal clear that was falling from the ceiling, to the dark brown that was leaving the drain. It had probably been about fifteen minutes before the water finally began to run clear off of me. Turning back to the dial, I looked for a button that said shampoo. After a few minutes of sweeping through the dials, I found the one.

Pushing it, a small opening formed in the wall of the shower and a dispenser came out with it. For a moment I stared at it but I quickly realized what I was supposed to do. Putting my hand under the dispenser, a handful of shampoo was squirted into it and the dispenser retracted back into the wall. For a moment I stared at the shampoo. What if I drank it? Could I poison myself with it? It would almost be funny to see what they would do if a Tribute committed suicide before getting to the Capitol. But I wouldn't do that. I would at least try my hardest to win the Games.

Bringing the shampoo up to my face, I smiled at the smell of it. The liquid smelled like roses. They were the favorite flowers of President Snow, which disturbed me to no end, but that didn't change the fact that they smelled amazing. Rubbing the shampoo into my hair I gave it a good washing and hit the shampoo button again to repeat the rinse, loving the feeling of truly clean hair. After I had rinsed the last bit of it out I began to search for the conditioner button. It was easy to find and I once more quickly ran it through my hair.

Once it had completely washed out, I debating getting out of the shower or not. I'd always taken quick baths because they were so cold. It was always terrible trying to take long baths. But right now I was comfortable and really didn't want to have to go watch the Reaping tape. I wanted to push that off as long as possible. So I decided to stay in the shower a while longer. As much as I hated the Capitol, I had to admit that it was amazing to feel so clean for once.

Just as I was about to turn the water dial off, I saw that there was a dial labeled 'wash.' I didn't know what it meant, but I didn't care. What was the worst that could happen? Pushing the dial, I shrieked as purple foam shot out from multiple places on the wall and got all over me. Including in my eyes and mouth. It tasted horrible and burned like mad. Feeling my way back under the water, I let the odd foam wash off of me first before opening my mouth and rinsing the taste out. Finally opening my eyes, I ran some water into them before stepping out of the water stream.

As terrifying as the wash foam had been, it smelled wonderful. Lavender, my favorite scent. I wondered if somehow the Capitol knew. But I couldn't imagine how they would. Standing under the water for a few more minutes, I finally decided that it was time that I should get out. Hitting the dial for the water, I stepped out of the shower and saw that the entire room was filled with steam. Stepping onto a small plate that I was on the outside floor of the shower I shrieked at the warm air that shot up around me. An air dryer, I realized. Within five minutes, both myself and my hair was dry and clean.

Leaning down I grabbed the dress that Effie had handed me and held it up to myself. There were no zippers so I assumed that I just pulled it over myself. Doing so, I noticed that the dress fit perfectly. Better than anything else that I owned. It was incredibly soft too. It must have been one hundred percent cotton. Whatever it was, it felt amazing. Happy with myself I grabbed my boots that I had put on the floor and slipped them back on, as well as the Mockingjay pin that was on my Reaping dress. Unsure of what else I was supposed to do with the dress, I left it on the floor and walked back out into the bedroom.

When I came out of the bathroom I realized that the television was already on. I wasn't sure whether or not Effie had been the one to turn it on, if it was mandatory programming, or if it was on a timer. Back home the Games and events surrounding it were mandatory to view. Everyone back home - and normally me - would be watching these shows. I guessed that I had thought that I might be able to sit it out now that I was actually here. The tape of the other Reapings was on the bed but I sat and watched the show instead.

Plopping myself onto the couch that was in front of the television, I curled my knees up to my chest and turned the volume up. Two Capitol announcers - Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman - were on the screen and showing images of the arena last year. I would never get a chance to speak with Claudius Templesmith, but in a matter of days I would sit down to be interviewed by Caesar Flickerman. I remembered last year's Games well. I remembered just how brutal they were.

The two men were turned back to a screen behind them that was separated into three sections, repeating highlights from last year's Games. "We have two sixteen-year-old's," Claudius said.

"Yes," Caesar agreed.

"Do you remember this year?" Claudius asked.

"Aww," Caesar said fondly, making me sick. There were three fights on the screen. The one in the center was the Death Match. "One of my favorite years. And one of my favorite arenas. The use of the rubble, the ruin city. Very exciting. From this moment here... this moment is the moment that you never forget. The moment... when a Tribute... becomes a Victor."

My stomach roiled as my gaze centered on the fight happening in the background. The memories of the Games came back to me quickly. It took place in a mostly winter setting in the beginning. The Victor had only made it so far because he'd managed to find a winter coat early on. It had been considered very boring in the beginning of the Games. Even I'd wished for more blood. At least it was fast and the deaths were quick. The Tributes were slowly freezing to death and dying of hunger. Just a few days in the terrain had changed as a new part of the arena had been redone in the night.

The new portion took place in the ruins of a rock-cut city surrounded by barren mountains, with the cathedral square now hosting the Cornucopia. There was little shelter from the still bitter cold and snow, as most of the buildings were collapsed or closed off to Tributes. Those buildings that were accessible had holes in them which prevented proper insulation. There was little food and water; it was too cold to heat anything without fire-making supplies in order to turn snow and ice into water. Even the muttations were largely aerial, bat-like creatures that fared slightly better in the elements than the Tributes.

Most of the supplies at the Cornucopia were weapons or winter apparel. The already-high rate of quick deaths among the Tributes, as well as the difficulty of the terrain outside of the city and the temperature made it almost impossible to go far outside of the city, making last year's Games relatively short. It had been only eight days. That was rather short for an average Games. They were usually just under two weeks. There were also no Gamemaker engineered ploys used in the arena on the final Tributes during the Death Match.

It had still been brutal, and now they were replaying it. The Victor had been Eridan Ampora from District 4. He hadn't joined the Career Alliance, which was strange for someone from a Career District, but had still gone on to win the Games. On the three screens I could see him sitting over the boy from District 1, smashing in his head with a brick from the rubble. The brick was dripping with blood as Eridan leaned back, spotting that the other boy was finally dead, and let out a guttural roar.

Claudius and Caesar were cooing over the sudden death and I cringed, reaching for the remote and shutting the television off. I couldn't see that anymore. Not yet. I had to get my mind onto something else. Anything but the Games. But I had to remember that I was here for that very reason. I had to grow up and remember that I was here for Prim and Katniss. I'd promised them that I would try to come back and I needed to do that. It started with finding out who I would be competing against.

So I turned back and stared at the small tape that was sitting on the bed. It had the Reapings of all of the Districts, including my own. I didn't want to look at it and see how hopeless my case was, but I needed to. I needed to see who my competition was. Hopefully I would be able to find the immediate threats and look to see if there would be any Tributes that I should watch out for. Picking the tape up I walked over to the television that was hanging from the wall and slipped the tape in, waiting for it to play.

The tape started with the film that was played before every Reaping, and finally faded into what seemed to be District 1. While they weren't the Capitol favorite, they were favored over most of the other Districts, which meant that they lived lavishly. I could tell just by the look of their Town Square. It looked like a poorer version of the Capitol. Which was really what it was. They made everything for the Capitol so many of their citizens resembled the Capitol. As the camera panned over the audience, I noticed that everyone - even the younger kids - looked excited. I guess that's what you get from a Career District.

The camera briefly turned up to the stage and I listened to the Escort from their District introduce the Games and prepare to draw a name. Not that it mattered. There would be a volunteer. I noticed that up on the stage sat the siblings, Gloss and Cashmere - some of the most popular Victors of District 1. The two had won the Games in back to back years and were some of the most loved Victors. They may have well been from the Capitol. After a few minutes, the Escort walked over to the bowl and pulled a name for the females.

The girl that had been called looked about fifteen, but she shrugged her shoulders and stood in her spot for a moment. I could tell that she was a little too young to volunteer. She might, but not for a few more years. Not until she was eighteen. Just a few seconds later I heard another girl from the front of the line call that she was stepping forward to volunteer. The camera made its way over to her and I scoffed. She was exactly what I would expect from District 1. Very pretty, cocky, with a swagger in her step as she walked up to the stage.

She looked tall and strong, with long blonde hair, much like mine. Except I could tell that she would tower over me. Most of the Tributes probably would. She was at the older age of the spectrum but I wondered what she was good with. She looked pathetically hopeless. Although if she volunteered she had to be good at something. I would have to watch her. With her short dress just barely covering her ass as she pranced up the stairs. I immediately knew her angle - sexy. As she made her way to the microphone she announced that her name was Glimmer. I couldn't help but to laugh. A stupid name for a stupid girl.

As Glimmer moved out of the middle of the stage, the male name was drawn from the bowl. It was a little kid - maybe only twelve or thirteen. My stomach turned in knots. District 1 or not, I didn't want another little kid to be in the arena. I saw that he wore a nervous smile and I gave a tiny shake of my head as the volunteer called out. It was obvious to see that the boy was letting out a big a breath of relief. The camera panned over to the volunteer and my eyes widened at the sight of him.

He was tall, which was the first thing that surprised me. He must have towered over six feet. He was also very thin, probably more so than me. I knew that he probably wasn't a sword fighter or hand-to-hand person. He was probably either knives, bow and arrows, or a spear. Long distance weapons. As he walked up to the stage with a cocky smile, I rolled my eyes. He thought that he would be charmer. Either that or a comedian. The Capitol would love him either way. As he got to the microphone he announced that his name was Marvel.

Marvel and Glimmer, the Tributes from District 1. As the pair shook hands I shook my head. They were the beginning of the Career Pack. The Career Tributes normally stuck together until they either got sick of each other or they were the last people left. Then they would turn on each other and it was the Death Match. The end of the Games. As the District 2 Reaping popped up, I straightened up. These were the people that I was waiting for. The male, to be specific. It was the District 2 male that had killed my parents, so I would kill him. Even if it killed me.

The Escort tottered over to the edge of the stage and introduced everyone on the stage. In the back were Brutus and Enobaria. They were the two most famous Victors of District 2, and both were for a good reason. Brutus was before my time, but I vaguely remembered Enobaria's Games. They were some of the earlier ones that I could remember. Brutus had apparently won his Games with his brute strength and Enobaria had won by ripping out her last opponent's throat. After that she had gotten her teeth sharpened to points. That was the first brutal death I could really remember.

I'd been alone when I'd seen it and had very nearly screamed. I had to say that I was pretty afraid of Enobaria. Most people were. As I looked around the District, it was obvious that they were the favorite of the Capitol. It was like a more industrial version of the Capitol itself. Of course it was the masonry District so it had to look more industrial. But they did have the most Victors, so it was easy to see why they were the favorite of the Capitol. The people were all healthy and happy looking, all bouncing with eagerness and excitement for the Reaping to happen. Fools.

Done with her speech, the Escort for District 2 reached into the glass bowls for the females. The name was read but before the camera even got a chance to find the girl that had been Reaped, a volunteer stepped forward. They really were excited to get into the arena. I watched as the camera found her and right as I focused in on her, I felt my eyes bug. She was tiny. Probably only an inch or two taller than me. She had long, dark brown hair that was in a braid down her back. Part of her reminded me of Katniss. But the face was nothing like her.

She wore a cruel scowl and I knew that I was probably mirroring her expression. I was shocked at the girl. She was probably only about fifteen, but I knew that she would be competition. She looked like a knife thrower so she would be able to catch people off guard. I would have to be weary of her. As she made her way up to the stage, stomping the whole way, she told the audience that her name was Clove. Clove was one Tribute that I would have to stay away from. Hopefully someone else would take care of her.

As Clove moved off to the side, I moved to stand in front of the television, leaning against the baseboard of the bed. This was the one man that I needed to know about. The only thing that mattered was that I knew who he was. No matter what, even if my parents hadn't ended the way that they did, I would have known that he would be one of the largest threats. This was the one Tribute that I was waiting for. Their Escort dropped her hand into the glass bowl and I nearly felt my heart stop. This was the moment that I was waiting for.

A piece of paper was pulled from the jar and the Escort made her way back over to the microphone. It seemed like she was taking forever to look the name over, but finally she looked at the audience and smiled. As soon as she opened her mouth though, I heard a call. It was a volunteer before a name had even been called. The camera turned to the front of the crowd, as did the rest of the crowd. The man that stepped out would have made me fall over had I not been hanging onto the bed. I stood no chance. Not against him.

He was huge. Even though he was on the screen I could tell that he was probably over six feet. I didn't think that he was as tall as Marvel, but what he lacked in height he made up in muscle. His arms were probably as big as my head. He looked like he could snap my neck without even thinking about it. Under his nice shirt and dress pants, I could tell that he was toned all over. He had been training his whole life. He looked like a sword fighter. Probably hand-to-hand too. The only thing that I might have on him was that I could maybe get a long distance weapon and surprise him.

I looked up to his face and found myself entranced by him. He had a chiseled face with high cheekbones, bright blue eyes, and well-combed, short blonde hair. His entire look about him was extremely attractive. I could imagine that he probably got a fair bit of female attention back in District 2. He would get a large deal of attention once we got to the Capitol too. Even more than just because he was from District 2. Just because he was a looker. The worst part about him was the victorious smirk that he already wore. Like he was already being crowned the Victor.

He was clearly eighteen as he had been standing in the front of the crowd, but he looked like he was probably in his twenties. With that smile and that body he would be the favorite to win by far. It didn't matter about the pity votes that I might get, he would be hands-down the favorite of the Capitol. If I was being honest, if I wasn't thinking about how to kill him, I'd probably be thinking about how to jump his bones. As he walked onto the stage with a small smirk and frosty eyes, I leaned into the television. His Escort asked him what his name is and my ears perked up.

"Cato Hadley," he said.

Even his voice was beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful. There wasn't a damn thing about him that wasn't beautiful and wasn't perfect. I was already angry with myself for being attracted to him. That couldn't happen. He was a monster. He would prove me right in a matter of days. I knew that he would. The clapping of District 2 roared at their Tribute. They knew that he would be back in a few weeks. I knew that I would have fallen by now had I not been holding onto the bed frame.

Clove and Cato were introduced again before the two shook hands and the video faded out to District 3. Cato Hadley. The boy was a monster. A monster that would play up the role of vicious killer. The boy that would win these Games. I shook my head clear of my thoughts. I couldn't afford to think like that. One way or another, I would win. Not him. I was tempted to turn the television off and just lay down, but I couldn't afford to do that. There would still be Tributes that I needed to keep my eye on. So I sat back down on the bed and continued to watch the District 3 Reaping.

During my thoughts I had missed the girl's name but she looked nervous. Clearly there was no volunteer for her. The boy was called up a moment later, also with no volunteer. I had thought he said his name was Ethan but he was so mousy that I couldn't really make out what he had said. I knew that they didn't look very strong, but they were from District 3. The District that took care of the Capitol's technology. Whether or not they were strong physically, they would be very smart. And that was almost as dangerous as brute strength.

As their Reaping faded out, District 4's came into view. I would now get to see if they would be a Career District this year. They tended to be most of the years, but not always. They were last year, but District 11 had won. That had sure been a wondrous moment in history for them. Everyone - particularly District 2, who had been pegged to be the winners - had been shocked that they had won. Other than District 12, District 11 had the least amount of Victors. As the camera scanned over the crowd, it gave a quick glimpse at the stage where I saw their Escort and most popular Victor.

He was probably the most popular Victor ever. Finnick Odair. He had won the Sixty-Fifth Games at the age of fourteen, the youngest Victor ever. He had won by his incredible skill with a trident - a gift that had been given to him by a Sponsor. It was probably the most expensive gift that a Tribute had ever received. That was saying something, considering how expensive some of the medical supplies were that Tributes would occasionally receive.

Finnick had won over the Capitol with his wit and charm and he was still dazzling. With his golden-red hair and cheekbones that most people would kill for, not to mention a killer body, he was an automatic charmer. Finnick was well loved by everyone. Even I had some love for Finnick, and I hated the Games and everything to do with them. I suppose I didn't love him because of the way he looked or his charm, but his eyes. Behind the sparkle of his ocean green eyes there was pain. Pain from the Games, his lost love Annie Cresta, and some other type of pain. I knew how hard pain was to deal with.

By the time that I snapped myself out of my thoughts both Tributes had been selected. I had missed the names for both. The boy looked like he was about to cry. It seemed that District 4 would probably not be a Career District this year. It didn't matter, they would still get Sponsor gifts like they did every year. No matter how pathetic Finnick's Tributes were, he was always able to charm the Sponsors into supporting his Tributes, for a while at least. It paid to be a District 4 Tribute, even more than District 1 or District 2.

The girl looked slightly tougher. I didn't think that she was a volunteer, but she was standing tall. She definitely looked confident. She had most likely trained herself a bit. She had the same small muscles that I had. If she was at least decent with weapons, the Careers would probably take her. Districts 5 through 10 went in a very similar fashion. I was too enamored in Cato Hadley that I missed most of the other Reapings, only picking out a few select Tributes that I wanted to keep my eye on.

In District 5 there was a girl with fiery red hair. She didn't look tough but I knew those types. Fast and excellent with survival and setting traps. I knew that she wouldn't be one to underestimate. She would hide from the Tributes for most of the Games and let us pick each other off. I was pretty sure that her name was Finch. She would likely be hard to catch by anyone other than the Careers. In District 6, the male was noteworthy. He looked like he would sell you out for a piece of wheat. I was going to make sure to steer clear of him. His name was Jason.

In District 8 the male looked tough. Not nearly as tough as the Careers, but he looked like he would be able to hold his own in a fight. It was probably for the best if I stayed away from him. I wouldn't want to get in the middle of a fight with him. But then again, sometimes the biggest fall the hardest. Hopefully that would reign true with Cato. The girl in District 8 was a crying mess. If she made it through the Bloodbath, she wouldn't live very long past it. In District 10 the male looked like he had a decent shot.

As District 10 faded out, I nodded. Luckily the Tributes this year didn't look completely overwhelming. There had been years where over half of the tributes looked like they could kill you without lifting a finger. With only two more Tributes left to reveal I was thinking that I had a pretty good shot. As District 11 came into view, I tuned out. I didn't care what was being said. I just wanted to know who was the last of my competition. As the paper with the female Tribute name was read, I smiled at the name. Rue. That was a pretty name. But as soon as the Tribute came into view the smile was wiped clear off of my face.

My stomach lodged itself in my throat. If I'd thought that I was having a hard time with Peeta being in the arena with me, I was dead wrong. This girl would be the real problem for me to take care of. She was tiny. She had to be twelve. She didn't even look old enough to be twelve. She looked like Prim. She reminded me of Prim. Other than having dark skin and eyes, the two could have been twins. They had the same mannerisms and attitude. Kudos to Rue, she walked up to the stage without wavering or letting a tear slip out of her eyes. I felt my heart break for her. Kids her age never won the Games.

As she got up on the stage she asked for a volunteer, but no one stepped forward. I glared at the television in anger. How could the Capitol do something like this to someone like her? How could they do any of this to any of us? As I watched her move off to the side, I made myself a promise. If it came down to the end and Rue was still there, I would save her and kill Cato. She was just like Prim and I couldn't end her life. I deserved to live but Rue deserved it more. Judging by the large group that was crying it seemed that she had a huge family to go home to. I would make sure that she got there.

With the anger still in my system from Rue I was barely able to concentrate as the male name was called. I was pretty sure that his name was Thresh. But I didn't really care. That was until I saw him. If I had thought that Cato was huge, I was dead wrong. Thresh was huge. He had to be Marvel's height with Cato's muscles. He would definitely have Sponsors lined up. Although he didn't have the cocky attitude that the Capitol liked so much. His face was solemn and it was well paired with a deep voice.

As the District 11 Reaping faded out I stood up to turn off the tape, but as District 12 came into view I decided to watch and see what we had all looked like. Effie came on first with the Mayor, Madge, and Haymitch in the background. I once more laughed as Effie awkwardly stopped her clapping at the end of the video. With baited breath, I watched as she went over to the crystal ball and fished for the name. The name that would be Prim's. She took the slip out of the ball and teetered back to the microphone. I grimaced as Prim's name was read out loud but I took a few deep breaths. It wasn't her. Not really.

I watched as the camera fell onto Prim, the girls around her moving to the side. As Prim stepped out into the walkway I saw the beginning of the chaos that was to come. It was almost comical watching as the camera didn't know who to follow. Effie, Prim, Katniss, or myself. Katniss called out to Prim first and began to run after her. The camera was full-on her. I was no longer in sight. But I knew that I would be soon. She yelled out to Prim and at the same moment I jumped out of the crowd, in front of the camera, where I could see the Peacekeepers that had caught me.

Unfortunately I did end up looking pretty crazy. With bared teeth and a frantic look, I was just hoping that viewers would understand that I was in a panic. Maybe they would think that it was endearing. Yeah right. Just as the camera went to move back to Katniss, we both yelled 'I volunteer' and the camera man clearly had no idea what to do. It was flitting back and forth between the two of us. Now I could see just how shocked the entire crowd was. I wondered what the other Tributes - particularly the Careers - would think of my Reaping.

Katniss repeated herself and the cameras turned back to her. But just before I got out of view, I saw myself get pushed back into the crowd. I broke through the Peacekeepers and ran back into view of the camera, pushing Katniss behind me and stating my fact that the eldest volunteer had the right to compete. I saw how dumbfounded Effie was when she finally agreed with me. Watching closely, it was easy to see the tears that were in Katniss's eyes as we had our brief exchange. I could just barely hear it, but the words made me begin to tear up.

As Katniss was pulled back into the crowd, I saw that my eyes were slightly misty in the video. It made me cringe. I really had thought that I'd been mostly steely throughout the Reaping. Hopefully the Capitol people would find it heartwarming. I had a feeling that they actually would. Gritting my teeth when Prim ran up and hugged me, I had to resist the urge to stop the tape right there. I didn't want to see this. But I had to finish it. I saw myself peel Prim off of me and tell her to find Katniss.

The younger girl clung back onto me with tears streaming down her face and I had to stop myself right there from breaking down. As Gale came into the picture I was brought back to the kiss that he had given to me before he had been pulled out of the room and I subconsciously brought my hand up to my lips. My head turned down in sadness at the look that Gale had given me. It was pity, regret, fury, love, and helplessness. I missed him already. Katniss and Prim too. I teared up again as I saw that Gale had tears in his eyes too. I yelled to Prim that I loved her as Gale took her away from me in the video.

With Prim's shouts in the background, my response to the Peacekeepers that had tried to get me to move was muffled but I could still hear it. I really wished that I hadn't said something like that. Anyone that was listening would have heard that. It probably wouldn't be good considering that the rest of the Tributes would hear it. They'd have something to hold over my head, my bitterness at being here. I was sure that the Capitol people would love my rude comment. As I moved up onto the stage, I looked like I was ready to kill every last person there. That was probably a good thing.

After my emotional Reaping a killer glare was a good thing to have. As the audience calmed down I saw that the three-fingered salute was still in the tape. I wondered if that would get a reaction from anyone in the Capitol. Especially President Snow. The last thing I wanted was to be on his bad side. After a moment of silence from the crowd, Peeta was Reaped. His went much smoother. No one yelling or crying. He looked strong but afraid. It didn't matter. If he could do a good interview and get a good training score, his fearful look when he was Reaped would be forgotten. My Reaping was the one that would be remembered.

The Panem anthem played and the Capitol symbol came on the screen before it went black and the video ended. Popping the tape out of the player, I laid it on the bed and sat down. Part of me just wanted to pass out until we reached the Capitol but I couldn't do that. Instead I thought over what I had learned. Major threats were Cato and Thresh. Probably Clove, Marvel, and maybe Glimmer and the District 4 girl too. Other threats may be Ethan, Finch, Jason, the District 8 male, and the District 10 male. Probably even Peeta. That made twelve people that I had to look out for. Half of the Tributes.

As I laid down on my bed, a knock at the door made me sit up and walk over. I pressed the button to open the door and smiled when I saw that it was Peeta. "Hi, Peeta," I said softly.

"Hey, Aspen. Did you watch the Reapings?"

"Yeah," I said, smiling when he sighed.

"Looks pretty crazy."

"Who did you think was a threat?" I asked, curious if he had come to the same conclusion.

For a moment I thought that he'd keep it to himself but he was eager to share. "District 1 and 2. Some from 4, 8, 9, 10, and 11," he said.

My mind flitted back to District 9 but I couldn't remember theirs. I would have to go back and watch theirs again. "District 2 looks tough," I muttered.

"They always do. But you're a good shot," he said, smiling at me.

"If I can get my hands on a knife," I muttered.

"You're pretty fast too. We don't have to think about that for now," he said.

"It'll be time soon."

"But for now we can think of it like a vacation."

We smiled at each other. "This is one hell of a vacation," I said, earning a small smile.

"It's dinner time. Effie wanted me to come and get you," he said, with a friendly smile.

Honestly I couldn't believe that after all this guy had gone through, he still had his manners. It certainly wasn't something that he had learned from his mother. I nodded at him and walked out of the room, letting the door hiss shut behind me. On the way to the dining car, Peeta complimented me, saying that I had cleaned up nicely and that I looked good in the Reaping. I thanked him and told him that he looked good too. And it was the truth; he did look good. He wasn't really my type but there would be plenty of girls in the Capitol that would fawn over him.

As we made our way into the dining car I looked at the huge white table. There was food spread out all over it. Chicken, beef, fish, and so many more meats, fruits, vegetables, soups, and breads that I would never be able to name. It was enough food to feed myself, Katniss, her family, Gale, and his family for a week. But here it was only for Peeta, Effie, Haymitch, and myself. And all of this was only for one night.

"Dessert will be out later!" Effie chirped happily.

Peeta and I exchanged a look. Dessert? How the hell could anyone have room? Dinner came in courses. A thick carrot soup, green salad, lamb chops and mashed potatoes, cheese and fruit, and a chocolate cake. Throughout the meal, Effie kept reminding us to save space because there was more to come. But I stuffed myself because I’d never had food like this, so good and so much, and because the best thing I could do between now and the Games was put on a few pounds. Dinner still ended up being an awkward affair. No one said much of anything and by desert Effie seemed to have had enough.

“At least, you two have decent manners,” Effie said as we were finishing the main course. “The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion.”

The pair last year were two kids from the Seam who’d never, not one day of their lives, had enough to eat. And when they did have food, table manners were surely the last thing on their minds. Peeta was a baker’s son. He'd always had money for food. Ms. Everdeen had taught me to eat properly, so yes, I could handle a fork and knife. But I hated Effie’s comment so much that I made a point of eating the rest of my meal with my fingers. Then I wiped my hands on the tablecloth. My entire act made her purse her lips tightly together.

Haymitch was absent for most of the meal but had now appeared. He hadn't noticed my act. Peeta was smiling along the entire time. His manners were too good, but mine certainly werne't. Now that the meal was over, I found myself fighting to keep the food down. I'd eaten too much. I could see that Peeta was looking a little green, too. Neither of our stomachs were used to such rich fare. But if I could hold down Greasy Sae’s concoction of mice meat, pig entrails, and tree bark - a winter specialty - I was determined to hang on to this.

"They have the first judgements of the Tributes out! They're on now. Would anyone like to watch?" Effie asked.

When no one answered, she scoffed and turned on the television. It was Caesar Flickerman, who would do the Tribute Interviews before the Games, and Claudius Templesmith, who was an announcer for the Games. They were the same men that had been on earlier. Claudius was just a pain in the ass Capitol man, as was Caesar, but the difference was that some part of me actually liked Caesar. He was just a lovable guy. He made every Tribute look good and never showed any favoritism. Had he not been born in the Capitol, I liked to think that he would have made a wonderful man.

It seemed that we were just coming in on the beginning of the program as the two men had just finished introducing themselves. "What do you think of the crop of tributes we have this year Caesar?" Claudius asked.

Caesar smiled at Claudius and began what to analyze the little of what the Capitol had seen of the Tributes. "I suppose we'll start with the District 1 tributes. Glimmer! A beautiful young lady, but I can't quite tell what her specialty is. I suppose we'll see soon enough! But I think we can definitely expect to see many sponsors for this young lady," he said. I snorted at the thought that came to mind.

"Manners," Effie scolded.

I ignored her and turned back to the television. "Now our next Tribute, Marvel, is an odd character. He seems like the type to carry a long range weapon. The personality on him is sure to win plenty of votes!" Caesar said with a huge smile. He was thinking the same thing that I was.

The District 1 symbol faded out of the background of the screen and was replaced by a District 2 symbol, along with a picture of Clove from her Reaping. "Now, Clove. She was a surprise, seeing how young she is. But she looks determined to prove herself. I don't know, Claudius, I'd be willing to put down some big money on Clove," Caesar said.

It wasn't just me. I noticed that Peeta was nodding along too. We both knew that she was good with something. Probably vicious, too, judging by the look in her eyes. All I knew was that she looked like big competition. As Clove's picture was taken down, I watched Cato's come up on the screen. As much as I tried not to, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at the icy look of his blue eyes. I knew that he wasn't looking at me but it seemed like he was.

"Cato! What an impressive Tribute. So far, Cato is hands down the favorite to win the Games this year. He has the attitude for it, the look, the determination, everything! I just hope that he can prove us right," Caesar said happily.

Even though it shouldn't have come as a surprise I couldn't help but to be a little annoyed about it. The most likely to win was always a Career Tribute, even if one of the inner-Districts had promising looking Tributes too. I could just hope that this year - like the previous one - would be an upset. I grunted at the television and tuned it out for a while. Cato was the favorite to win. I couldn't say that I was surprised. He was everything that they wanted in a Victor, just like they had said. And I'd known that it wouldn't be me.

Taking a deep gulp of water I thought back on Cato. I didn't know what was going to happen but I had a bad feeling that I would need to avoid him in the Games. I knew that I had drawn a lot of attention to myself in the Reaping and I was sure that he didn't want that. He probably wanted to be the lone star. But it didn't look like that was going to happen. I knew people like Cato. They would want to take it out on someone. And I had a bad feeling that that person was going to be me.

Coming back into the television I looked over and saw that they were finishing up with District 10 and were about to move on to District 11. They'd gone through faster than I'd been expecting. Now they were on Rue and Thresh. Dropping my fork awkwardly, I realized that I had been pushing my food around for about fifteen minutes while I thought, staring blankly at my plate. Giving an awkward cough I glanced up to the screen and hoped that everyone else was looking there as well.

Rue's face popped up on the screen and I felt my face harden. How could the Capitol do something like this to someone like her? "Well, Claudius, this is an interesting one. Normally when the younger kids get Reaped we see a lot of emotion, but not from Rue. She was rather quiet. It doesn't matter, she's a cutie! No doubt that she will win the hearts of most of the ladies and gentlemen all over Panem," Caesar said.

He was still wearing his cheesy smile. I let out a slight breath. At least they weren't counting her out yet. They were making her out to be the sweet and innocent Tribute, but that was what I had expected. It was what kids her age normally played at. As her picture faded out, Thresh's came into view. He was terrifying. I could only hope that he would have some mercy for me. He didn't seem cruel like the Careers but I was sure that they would want to recruit him. After all, he looked like one of them.

"Well, well, well. Thresh here is quite a mystery to me and everyone else I think, Claudius. There is definitely hope with him. The boy looks strong and seems to be stable going into the Games. I think he's one that we'll need to watch out for! Who knows, maybe we'll have a Victor from District 11 two years in a row! After all, he is second place in the polls to win the Games," Caesar said.

That couldn't really be much of a surprise to me. And it wasn't. I took in a deep breath. I wasn't surprised that he was high up in the chances to win. Although the others would be besides themselves when they realized that he was scored higher than they were. The Careers, Thresh, Peeta, and maybe even the District 4 female would be high up. As District 11 faded out and the District 12 symbol came into view everyone in the room straightened up. This was where we found out what the Capitol thought about us. How good of a chance that we had with the Capitol people.

My face popped up on the screen and I immediately knew when they had snapped the picture. It was right when I got up on the stage. I looked furious, but you could see the sadness in my eyes. My face was stone cold too, I knew that I wouldn't be able to play the bubbly angle. I had lost that window of opportunity. It made me a little sick to see myself. I didn't want to hear what they had to say about me. I wanted to be ignorant to the entire thing. But I couldn't leave now.

"Well, Claudius. I don't know what to think about this one. Aspen Antaeus, District 12's first volunteer. This is a girl that I think we need to keep our eye on. She volunteered for her best friend's younger sister, forced her best friend back into line, and it seems that she may have a man looking out for her back home," Caesar said with a wink. They played the brief clip where Gale took Prim away from me and I felt my face heat up. Sorry, Gale. "The funny thing is both of her parents actually competed in the Games and made it pretty far." Why did they have to say that? "Besides that, she looks like a competitor. Serious but with her head screwed on straight. Luckily for her, she has won the hearts over everyone in the Capitol. While she does not round out the top five of the competitors most likely to win, she is the second most popular Tribute. It's pretty certain that she'll have Sponsors lined up down the block. I've got to say Claudius, I'm excited to see what this girl is about!"

My face faded off of the screen. I supposed that they could have said much worse about me. At least they were saying that I was popular. That would at least mean that eyes would be on me. There were claps from Effie and Peeta gave me a congratulations, to which I thanked him. Haymitch was wearing a small smile and he raised his glass to me. I wasn't likely to win, but I could change that with a good training score. And as long as I stayed friendly, people would be ready to Sponsor me. It looked like I was well set up so far.

"This is just wonderful, Aspen! I haven't seen a Tribute so well loved before the official Games even begin in a long time!" Effie said, with a huge smile.

I smiled at the attention but let my smile drop when I saw Peeta. He looked defeated before he had even heard what people had to say about him. Putting a hand on his shoulder, I gave him a tiny smile. "Hey, it's not like they even think I have a chance to win. They just like me. Trust me, you'll have a good chance to win," I told Peeta, with a smile.

"Thanks, Aspen. You've got a good chance. Trust me," he said, bringing me into a hug.

His sudden contact made me tense but I quickly relaxed. Peeta was such a sweet guy but I couldn't allow myself to get too close to him. I would be in the Games with him within a week. I could only pray that someone else would be the one to kill him. I didn't know if I would have the heart to do it. As he released me, I gave him a small smile and looked back at the screen. My face had disappeared and Peeta's was coming up on the screen. He looked a little shaky but otherwise strong.

"District 12 seems to be doing pretty good this year! Peeta is in the top five of a chance to win in the polls as of now but, unlike his partner, he is nowhere near as popular. Still, Peeta has the look of a strong Tribute and I'm sure that he'll have plenty to show us once he gets in the Games. Should be a good one this year!" Caesar said.

With their goodbyes and a repeat of the anthem, the Capitol symbol appeared on the screen. I turned to Peeta with a smile and gave him a hug. "See? I told you that you'd have a good chance to win," I said, with a little smirk.

He laughed and turned his smile to his plate. "Thank you, Aspen," he said.

He looked almost embarrassed. I didn't know why. There was a sudden sadness in his eyes and I glanced away. I wondered if he, like me, was still thinking about the way that I owed him my life. Feeling a little more down, I started picking at another piece of chicken that I wasn't planning on eating when I heard the Panem anthem play from the screen. I turned back to the television and looked at the screen. It seemed like they were announcing the likeliness of who was to win the Games after day one. Reaping Day.

As I was watching the screen, I groaned when I saw the first of the pictures pop up on the screen. It was Cato. They'd already told us that he was the most likely but that didn't make me any happier to see his arrogant face. I couldn't imagine that it would be much nicer to see his face in person tomorrow. It would probably be tomorrow. That was when I would see all of the Tributes. I wasn't surprised that he was the most likely to win the Games anyways. As his face faded out, it was replaced by Thresh with a number two beneath his face. Again, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise anyways.

Third in the polls was Marvel, followed by Clove in fourth. I smiled when I saw that Peeta was in fifth. Glimmer was in sixth and I couldn't help but laugh. I was sure that she would be livid that a District 12 Tribute was more likely to win the Games than her. The District 4 female, Coral, was the seventh most likely to win. As her face faded out, I was shocked to see that my own had replaced it. I was the eighth most likely person to win the Games. My odds could have been worse.

"We could be worse off," I told Peeta brightly.

"We're doing good," he said.

Peeta clapped me on the shoulder and gave me a smile which I returned. He and I sat together, happily munching on the remainder of our food. I had a decent shot of winning the Games and it seemed that I was well liked by the Capitol. I was doing better than I had thought that I would. Effie was sitting at her end of the table smiling and jabbering on about how well the two of us were doing and what a great year this would be. Haymitch, on the other hand, was laughing lowly and drinking more than anyone should be. That was his way of celebrating.

Yawning slightly, I decided that it would probably be a good idea for me to go to bed. I had a long day tomorrow. I knew that we would arrive in the Capitol early in the morning, right after breakfast as Effie had told us. She had also mentioned that we would be doing something like a makeover. It was just what I wanted, to be the Capitol's play toy even more than I already was. It was too late to do anything now. Standing from my seat at the table, I looked over everyone with a straight face.

"I'm gonna go to bed. Long day," I said.

Effie gave me a cheerful goodnight as did Peeta, while Haymitch merely waved me off with the glass to his lips. Rolling my eyes, I made my way back into my bedroom and threw myself on the bed. Sliding my boots off, I let them drop on the floor. I walked over to the dresser and pulled out a black tank top with a pair of black leggings. Pulling them on, I sunk into the bed and let my thoughts wander. So much had happened today. It was strange to think that just a day had passed.

When I had woken up I had calmed down Prim, who had been so sure that she would be Reaped. And I had been so sure that she wouldn't. I couldn't believe that it was her. I still couldn't. I was glad that she wasn't here but I really wished that I wasn't. I had missed my deer thanks to Gale, who had suggested we run off. Both Katniss and I had told him no. We really should have listened to him. Not that I had known at the time just where I would be in a matter of hours.

Then there had been the Reaping. Prim had been Reaped. I had fought Katniss to take Prim's spot in the Games. I had won, or maybe lost, depending on how you looked at it. Then Gale had kissed me. He had given me my first kiss. If I was a little less concerned about the Games I would have been thinking about the kiss. Katniss, Prim, and I had said goodbye. Madge had given me the Mockingjay pin so that I could be her Mockingjay. Peeta and I had become sort of friends. I had become loved by the Capitol. And I had found out who I would need to kill. Cato Hadley. The monstrous boy from District 2.

As I slipped under the cover and closed my eyes, I prepared myself mentally for the next day. I knew that it would be the Tribute Parade. Where I would get rolled around in some stupid chariot, with some stupid costume, and see stupid President Snow. The only good thing about the next day was that I would finally get to size up my competition. I would see them face to face. I would get to meet Cato Hadley. I would get to see the boy that I was determined to kill. That was my last thought before I slipped into the abyss.

The next morning I jumped out of bed with a sharp scream and took note that I was covered in sweat. It made my sheets rather damp and I cringed. I was sure that someone here would laugh at me, probably thinking that I had wet the bed. That hadn't nearly been the case. Instead I had been plagued by nightmares all night long. Only these were the worst type of nightmares. They weren't the crazy kind where I was being chased by the Capitol trains. They were the kind that could come true. They were the kind that probably would come true.

In most of them Cato had been chasing me through a forest and I had been watching from District 12 with Katniss, Gale, and Prim. It was strange to see myself on the television. He had caught me after running for what seemed like hours. When he finally caught me he pinned me down to the ground, taking out a knife and dragging it down my chest, arms, and legs. Katniss was crying, trying to pull Prim away from the television. Gale was screaming at me and at the television. They were all praying that it would just end. That I was back home.

In my dream I had been praying that I would be back home when I woke up too. I had woken up right when Cato had leaned down to the side of my face with a beautiful but terrifying smile. "You always knew that it would end like this. You always knew that you were too weak to win. To beat me. Now look at you. Going to die, just like your parents," he had whispered to me.

He leaned back up and raised his knife, bringing it down above my chest. Just as the blade pierced my skin, I had woken up. Now that I had been up for a few minutes I climbed out of bed on shaky legs and walked over to the dresser. I wasn't sure what I should wear, but I figured that it should be something that the Capitol would be pleased with. Scoffing, I began to riffle through the drawer. Who the hell cared that they wanted? I was going to wear what I wanted. A knock at the door startled me and I stood up straight.

"Good morning, Aspen! Time to get up. Breakfast is on the table. Please get changed and come join us when you're ready," Effie called in.

"Alright! I'll be out in a minute, Effie," I called back to the woman.

Thankfully she didn't barge in today. I dropped down besides the drawer again. Throwing clothes out of the drawer for close to five minutes, I finally found an outfit that wasn't too appalling. It was a deep green tank top with a low front. I had originally thought that it was perfect until I saw how low it was. Of course, the Capitol had to do something to screw up everything that could have been nice. I threw it on anyways. Grabbing a slick black leather jacket I threw it on over the tank top, hoping that it would at least cover me up slightly. Pulling off my tight black pants, I replaced them with a pair of tight white jeans.

Pulling on my worn boots too, I walked over to the mirror and smiled. I actually didn't look half bad. Grabbing the hair brush that had been laid out for me, I ran it through my hair and braided a small fishtail braid in the front, side of my hair. Hoping that it would be a pain for whoever was going to do my hair, I smirked to myself and walked out of the room.

As I entered the dining room. More appropriately I walked to the door and glanced through the window to see what was going on. I laughed lightly when I saw that as usual, Effie looked moronic, fixing her hair. Haymitch looked slightly more sober than usual, and Peeta seemed to be in a deep conversation with our Mentor, who looked fed up with whatever the two of them had been talking about. Peeta must have actually managed to get through to him sometime yesterday. Or maybe this morning. I walked into the room to head over to them.

"You'd freeze to death first," Haymitch told Peeta, rolling his eyes.

Peeta shook his head at our Mentor and I watched closely from the corner of the room. "Because I didn't light a fire," Peeta said.

It seemed that the two were arguing over how to keep warm on a night in the Games. Instead of giving any constructive criticism, Haymitch rolled his eyes at Peeta. "Now that's a good way to get killed," he told my District partner.

Deciding that this was probably an important thing that I should be listening to, I walked out into the open. "What's a good way to get killed?" I asked, walking up to the table.

Just like last night, the table was covered in enough food to last all of District 12 a few days. Effie, Peeta, and Haymitch all turned to me in shock. They must have thought that I wouldn't be out for a little while. Peeta smiled at me while Haymitch gave me a light glare. Effie looked me up and down and smiled in approval. It seemed that my outfit was appropriate enough for her. I began to feel awkward with everyone staring at me, but luckily Haymitch drew the attention back to himself.

"Oh! Joy. Why don't you join us? I'm just saving a life-saving advice," Haymitch said, reaching for the glass of water.

It surprised me that he wasn't drinking the glass of the amber colored liquid next to him. I rolled my eyes but sat down at the table anyways. He might be an asshole, but he was an asshole that had won these Games once. I piled on some scrambled eggs, a few slices of bacon, a muffin, and a few strawberries before grabbing a glass of milk. Once I was done gathering my food I looked up to Haymitch, whose eyes had not left me since I'd walked in.

"Like what?" I asked, taking a scoop of eggs and a sip of milk.

I waited for Haymitch to say something, but he merely grabbed a slice of toast and ignored my question. I should have figured that he wouldn't be in the mood to talk to me. Wonderful. I sighed at the fact that our Mentor was now ignoring me for no reason. Obviously Haymitch wouldn't be as much of a help as I had hoped that he might be. I took another sip of the milk. Rolling my eyes I was about to give up on talking to Haymitch when Peeta stepped in and looked at me.

"I wa - I was just asking about how to find shelter," Peeta said.

He was nervous about continuing the conversation, which had clearly been on thin ice even before I had walked in. "Which would come in handy if in fact you are still alive," Haymitch said, looking at me and for whatever reason aiming the hit at me.

Peeta seemed to have given up the conversation, but I wasn't quite ready to give the whole thing up. This was going to get figured out whether or not Haymitch wanted it to. He wasn't going to be completely useless to me for the next two weeks. I intended for him to do the damned job that was given to him. Haymitch grabbed a slice of toast along with a sharp knife to spread the butter. I leaned forward on the table, hoping that Haymitch would get that I was serious about this.

"How do you find shelter?" I asked him with a straight face.

Not even bothering to look up at me, he kept his eyes focused on his toast. "Pass the jam," he said, without even acknowledging the fact that I was trying to get his attention.

"How do you find shelter?" I repeated.

Haymitch tried to reach across the table and grab the jam but I was faster. I grabbed the jar and pulled it over to myself. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw that Peeta was watching with a nervous look on his face and even Effie had stopped applying her makeup to watch the two of us. We were both locked in a staring contest that neither one of us was willing to lose. Although Haymitch looked away. I didn't intimidate him in the slightest but I was getting sick of this. With the roll of his eyes, Haymitch glanced up and gave me a condescending look.

"Give me a chance to wake up sweetheart. This mentoring is very... taxing and stuff," he said, looking like he could give less of a rat's ass what happened to either Peeta or me. He placed his knife down and pulled out a flask, dumping a large amount of the amber liquid into his cup. "Can you pass the marmalade?"

Losing my temper, I picked the knife up off of the table and grabbed it tightly in my hand. Haymitch was looking away from me and I took that as my opportunity to strike. Raising my knife by the side of my head, I threw it in blind anger. The knife sailed by Haymitch's head, taking a few hairs with it, and landed in a painting that was hanging on the wall behind him. Everyone turned to stare at it in fear. Haymitch looked like he was about to kill me. I didn't care. He was going to get me killed if he didn't get his act together.

"That is a masterpiece by a Capitol artist!" Effie shrieked.

Even though I should have apologized for losing my temper, I couldn't bring myself to look away from Haymitch. So I ignored her and focused on the startled faces of Haymitch and Peeta. Clearly no one had thought that I would do something like that. I didn't think that I would do something like that. If I had scared Haymitch, he didn't show it. Shaking his head and replacing the startled look with a cruel one, Haymitch leaned forward into me.

"Look at you! Just killed a... painting!" Haymitch called excitedly, pulling the knife out of the painting. "You really wanna know how to stay alive? You get people to like you." I let my face drop at what he said. That was something that I wasn't very good at. I only had four friends back home. "Oh! Not what you're expecting. When you're in the middle of the Games and you're starving or freezing, some water, a knife or even some matches can mean the difference between life and death. And those things only come from Sponsors. And to get Sponsors, you have to make people like you. And right now, sweetheart? You're not off to a really good start."

Despite everything that Haymitch was saying, which was all completely true, I merely glared at him. He was right but I really didn't want to admit it. Haymitch finally got his jam and bread, eating it like he was rubbing it in my face. He looked very happy to have thrown me off of my game. And right before we were going to arrive at the Capitol. Peeta startled me when he stood up and ran over to the window of the train car. He was looking out the window with a huge smile on his face.

"There it is. It's huge. That's incredible," Peeta said.

The window was too high for me to see outside of. I could only assume that he was talking about the Capitol. It was probably about time that we arrived there. It felt like it might have been around ten in the morning. I could only see the tops of the buildings but I could already tell that it was amazing. The train rode through what seemed to be the beginning of the train station and we were plunged into darkness. When the light came back through the window, once we had left the tunnel, the roaring of a crowd did too. We were here. We were at the Capitol train station. This was about to become even more real.  
All three of us were staring out the window as the Capitol citizens came into view. The cameras hadn’t lied about its grandeur. If anything, they hadn't quite captured the magnificence of the glistening buildings in a rainbow of hues that towered into the air, the shiny cars that rolled down the wide paved streets, the oddly dressed people with bizarre hair and painted faces who had never missed a meal. All the colors seemed artificial, the pinks were too deep, the greens were too bright, and the yellows were painful to the eyes. It was like the hard candies we could never afford to buy at the tiny sweet shop in District 12.

Standing at the window, Peeta began to smile at the crowd and wave to them happily. I suppose he thought that the attention was cool. "Come on," Peeta said.

He was trying to get me to come over to the window, but I merely shook my head at him. No way was I going to amuse those monkeys. The people began to point at us eagerly as they recognized that a Tribute train was rolling into the city. I had been standing but I stepped away from the window, sickened by their excitement, knowing they couldn’t wait to watch us die. But Peeta held his ground, actually waving and smiling at the gawking crowd. He only stopped when the train pulled into the station, blocking us from their view.

Peeta saw me staring at him and shrugged. “Who knows? One of them may be rich,” Peeta said.

Haymitch laughed and handed the knife back to me. "Better keep this knife. He knows what he's doing," Haymitch said.

But his words went right over my head. I was still thinking about what Peeta had said. The train was coming to a stop when I realized that I had misjudged Peeta. I started thinking about his actions since the Reaping began, ignoring Haymitch and Effie's argument. The friendly squeeze of my hand and hugs. His father showing up with the cookies and promising to feed Prim... Did Peeta put him up to that? His tears at the station. Challenging Haymitch this morning when apparently the nice-guy approach had failed. Now he was waving at the window, already trying to win the crowd.

All of the pieces started to fit together. I couldn't believe that I hadn't realized it before. I'd just thought that Peeta had given up on trying to live and had just been enjoying the Capitol, trying to pretend that he was doing alright. Now I'm starting to sense that he has a plan forming. He actually hadn’t accepted his death. He was already fighting hard to stay alive. That also meant that kind Peeta Mellark, the boy who saved my life, was already fighting hard to kill me. I had to get it together. The train came to a complete stop. Let the real Bloodbath begin.


	4. Chapter Four

Turning back to Haymitch, I snatched the knife from his hand and glared at him. Slamming the knife down onto the table I stood up and walked over to the window. I knew that it would be smart to wave and smile at the people like Peeta was doing, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead I stared at the people of the Capitol hoping that I wouldn't go blind from their bright colors and the flashes of the cameras. I had never seen so many people in so many different colors. I was seeing colors that I didn't even know existed. I had seen the Capitol crowds in Games past, but this was something else.

Being here in person was something totally different. "Aspen! Peeta! Come over here for a moment," Effie called.

The two of us turned towards her and I let Peeta pull me over with him. The cries of the crowds followed us, even though we were gone from the area that the citizens were allowed to be in. Now it would only be the reporters watching us as we entered. The two of us stood in front of Effie and I stood with my hip pushed out to the side. I wished so desperately that I wasn't here. Effie walked around Peeta and nodded at him. It seemed that he was to her satisfaction. Effie then did a once over of me and smiled.

"Oh, Aspen, I'm so proud of you! I would have thought you'd been a lost cause," she said.

"Thank you, Effie," I growled.

She didn't miss the sarcasm. I rolled my eyes and jumped back when she tugged at the jacket. "Take this off. It makes the outfit too dark," Effie instructed.

It was the only thing that was covering some of my modesty. But I didn't get the chance to tell her that. I opened my mouth to tell her all of the reasons that I wanted to keep the jacket on, but she didn't seem to care. Instead of arguing with her, knowing that it wouldn't get me anywhere, I merely rolled my eyes and let the jacket drop to the floor. With a smile she dragged us over to the doors that would reveal us to the world and motioned us to stand in front of them.

"When you get out there will be photographers everywhere! So smile... Aspen," Effie said pointedly.

Did we really have to say things like that? I rolled my eyes and mimicked her, much to Peeta's amusement. With a gentle shove, Haymitch moved Effie out of the way and took her spot in front of us. I raised my eyebrows at Haymitch, surprised that he now wanted anything to do with us. He stood in front of me and gave me a glare. Now what the hell could I have done to him? Did I really need that much direction or was Peeta just that much more perfect than me?

"Alright, you two. When you get off the train we will have to walk up to the Remake Center which is where they will prepare you for the Tribute Parade. That it also where training is and where you will live for the next few days. You will have your Prep Team. Let them do what they want to you... Aspen," Haymitch growled.

I rolled my eyes and nodded at him. "Okay," I agreed begrudgingly.

"Effie is about to open these doors. When they open, smile and nod at the reporters. Don't stop to talk to them. Understand?" he asked. Both Peeta and I nodded. "Good. Both of you stay close to me. Once we get to the Remake Center, your Prep Teams will take you away. After that, we won't see you until after the Tribute Parade. Okay?"

"Got it," Peeta said.

"Okay," I added.

My nerves were settling in as I took in a calming deep breath. With a quick nod to Effie, she turned and opened the doors of the train. I immediately went in to sensory overload. There was the flashing of cameras all over the place. If I hadn't gone blind by the end of this walk, I would have been shocked. Not to mention, deaf. The roar of the crowd was horrible. Even worse than being inside the train. All of these people were cheering on our deaths. I glared at the crowd as my eyes adjusted and jumped when Haymitch punched me in the shoulder.

"Smile," Haymitch growled at me.

Plastering a fake smile on my face, Haymitch led us out of the train. Effie went first with Peeta walking next to her. Haymitch and I followed, with me close to his side. He had a tight grip on my back. The crowd was screaming at us and I found myself very grateful that I wasn't claustrophobic. As I walked the luckily short walk to the Remake Center, I had to fight to keep the smile on my face as reporter after reporter ran up to me. The most recent of which was a man with bright pink hair and blue eyeshadow. I was pretty sure that he was wearing heels too. What was wrong with these people?

"Aspen!" the reporter called. I tried to look away from him. "Is it true that the girl you volunteered for is your best friend's younger sister?"

The tightening of Haymitch's hand on my back told me that I had better not saying anything to the reporter. So I managed to keep my mouth shut, as much as I wanted to tell him to go back and watch the damn Reaping tape. I ignored him and had to grit my teeth at the pain of Haymitch's hand in my back. It was getting to be extraordinarily painful for me. I was sure that he was extremely uncomfortable in this situation. It probably brought back all sorts of horrible memories for him.

"Is there anyone at home that you want to win for? Any special man?" the reporter continued. Still ignoring him and smiling, I thought that I was doing pretty good so far. "What about the young man that was at the Reaping? Sources say that you were caught together, lip locked at your goodbyes!"

"What?" I yelled back, finally losing my cool.

It wasn't the right response. I knew that I should have stayed silent and pretended like I couldn't hear him but I couldn't. How the hell had he known that? I quickly realized that it must have been the Peacekeeper that had walked into the room. They had sold me out. It made sense. These Capitol reporters were paid out the ass for pictures of the Tributes. Especially pictures like that. Of them with a significant other or something like that. As I began to walk back to the reporter with a furious face, Haymitch grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back to him.

"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed at me.

"You heard him!" I shouted.

"Drop it."

"That'll get back to District 12."

"You let it. You're making yourself look like a fool!"

Hopefully Gale would forgive me for what was sure to be the buzz all around District 12. I glared at Haymitch and snatched my arm away but he wasn't willing to give up that easily. Catching my arm again, he wrenched me forward and yelled at me to smile. Taking a few deep breaths and tuning out the crowd, I calmed myself down and took to walking with Haymitch again. I had to get it together. He was actually trying to help me and all I was doing was making his job ten times harder. All thanks to that damned reporter. I had been doing so well before he had come up to me.

Determined to redeem myself, I swallowed my pride and began to wave at the audience all the while hoping that I hadn't made myself irredeemable. Judging by their screams my outburst wouldn't be an issue. I looked straight ahead and found myself determined to make it to the Remake Center without another issue. Naturally that wasn't in my books. About twenty feet from the entrance of the Remake Center a small child ran up in front of me. I tried to ignore the kid but he was right in front of me.

Judging by the nudge in the back that I got from Haymitch, I knew that he was trying to tell me to smile at the kid but otherwise ignore him. I couldn't act like the cruel Tribute that hated sweet little Capitol kids. I went to step around the kid but he held out a flower to me and I just had to stop for him. Haymitch brushed by me, barely noticing that I had stopped. The boy looked so normal for a Capitol kid. Dark brown hair with a black button down shirt and jeans. The kid was so cute that I just had to stop for him. I leaned down to the kid who handed me the flower.

"Oh, well thank you!" I said happily.

As much as I wished that the audience would have continued shouting and asking me all sorts of mundane questions they didn't. I noticed that the roars of the crowd had diminished and all eyes were on me. No Tribute ever stopped to talk to the crowd. Both Effie and Peeta were watching me in shock, Peeta with a smile on his face. Haymitch seemed impressed at me for once. Ignoring the fact that everyone was staring at me, I focused on the kid and gave him an actual smile.

"The flower is beautiful. Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome," he said.

The kid leaned forward and gave me a small peck on my cheek. I tried to keep a straight face, but I knew that I was turning a bright red. "What's your name?" I asked.

He shuffled his feet for a moment. He looked afraid but I was determined to make him comfortable around me. I didn't want him to be afraid of me. Not yet. "Gale," the boy finally said.

If I had been a little less steady I was sure that I would have fallen over. It wasn't a common name and people in the Capitol normally gave their kids rather silly names. His put me somewhere in between smiling and sobbing. I knew that my face must have dropped as soon as he said it. I just hoped that the cameras hadn't caught it. Trying to ignore all of the unwanted feelings that the boy's response had brought up, I scooted closer and leaned in front of him.

"You know, my best friend's name is Gale," I said, with a smile.

"Really?" he asked.

"Absolutely. And when I win I'll make sure that I dedicate it to the both of you. Thank you, Gale," I said, smiling at his obvious excitement.

His eyes brightened and he jumped onto me, giving me a small hug. I smiled at the boy and wrapped my arms around him, happy for the first time since this whole thing had started. "I'm gonna get all the Sponsors I know to help you!" Gale yelled, as he backed away.

"Thank you!" I yelled back.

Not even a moment later he disappeared into the crowd. No matter what Peeta had done while we were on the train and no matter how intimidating the Careers would look as they were arriving, I was the one that would stand out. Just like with the Reaping. Standing up, I took the flower that Gale had given me and stuck in in my hair. Walking back over to Haymitch the crowd once more began to scream all kinds of questions at me. Haymitch kept a hand on my back pushing me ahead faster than he had been before.

"Not bad, sweetheart, maybe I was wrong about you," he said, with a smirk.

"Thanks," I said softly.

Despite as much as I wanted to still be angry with Haymitch, I smiled back at him and the four of us arrived at the entrance to the Remake Center. It felt like it had taken us an hour just to get up the short walk. The Peacekeepers that were standing guard nodded at us and let both Peeta and me in, while Haymitch and Effie were escorted away from us. I felt a little nervous having them gone. I looked back at them, hoping that they would say something else to us, but Haymitch merely pointed me to the group of three people that were walking towards us all talking over one another.

As Effie and Haymitch disappeared, every bone in my body told me to run after them. The last thing that I wanted was to be left alone with these people. I had Peeta with me, but like me, he had no clue what we were supposed to be doing. I tried to move but Peeta wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kept me rooted in my place. He did give me a reassuring smile. I nodded at him and took a deep breath, praying that whoever these people were, they would make whatever was about to come quick. The group walked up to me and all gave me a hug. I wanted nothing more than to shove them away.

"My goodness! Once she's done she'll just be beautiful!"

One of them had said it but they were moving so quickly that I couldn't tell. They pulled at my clothes, hair, and limbs. These people didn't know how to keep their hands to themselves. "How rude of me!" the only male in the group said. At least I thought he was the only male in the group. "My name is Flavius and I will be doing your hair. This is Venia who will be doing the waxing and eyebrows."

"Eyebrows?" I asked.

They ignored me. I already had eyebrows. What the hell could they be doing to them? "This is Octavia," Flavius continued, pointing to the woman on his right. "She will be doing your nails."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

The words were barely out of my mouth when the movement began. It all happened in a flurry and I found myself more confused than I had been at the Reaping yesterday. I still didn't really know who was who as Flavius - I was almost positive it was him - pulled me away from Peeta. Now the only thing that I wanted was for Peeta to be with me. This was even scarier than the thought of being in the arena in a few days. I looked back at my District partner in horror. Peeta seemed to be enjoying himself though, laughing at the horror on my face.

As I was pulled through hallway after hallway I was shocked that the building could even be so huge. When were we going to run out of hallways? Even the Justice Building wasn't half as big as this place. Just as I wanted to drop to the floor and give up looking for whatever room that we were looking for we turned a last hallway and slowed down. The doors were all marked with a number and male or female. At the end of the hallway was exactly what we were looking for. '12 - Female' the door read. Octavia pushed the door open and Venia and Flavius shoved me in.

Very ungracefully I stumbled into the center of the room. It wasn't very large and was completely white. I was a little unnerved. This looked worse than the few hospitals that I had seen on the Capitol programs on the rare occasions that the televisions back in District 12 had worked. My thoughts were interrupted and I began panicking as the three of my stylists crowded around me. The last thing that I wanted was to be so close to some of the people that were dooming me to my fate.

Flavius began to pull at my tank top and, out of instinct, my hand whipped out to slap him roughly across the face. I laughed, which was not a good idea. Things had gone from bad to worse after that. I was scolded for my poor behavior and yelled at by the three of them, all rambling on together. After they had finished yelling at me they told me that they would need to get rid of my clothes. All of them. Needless to say there had been a marvelous fight. But even after my fighting, yelling, and kicking, they had won and I was now laying on a cold metal table, buck ass naked.

How had I possibly lost this fight? How had my entire life come to this? I was proficient in weapons and knew that I was brave enough to make it through the Games. I knew that I would have a good chance at making it through the Games and becoming the next Victor. I had already been preparing myself. But this was not what I had prepared for. I wasn't ready for being violated by all of their tools and gadgets as they attempted to make me their doll. Staring up at the clock that was mounted on the wall, I groaned when I saw that it was only ten in the morning. The Tribute Parade wasn't until seven at night.

What the hell were they going to do to me for nine hours? I had wished that I hadn't asked. Flavius, Octavia, and Venia all stood over me with a bucket to the side of them. It looked like the same type of bucket that I used to bathe back home. The group were mumbling to each other, nothing really being said except useless chatter. I zoned myself out, knowing that they would just ignore me even if I said something. Keeping my eyes closed, I was shocked when I felt fabric being pressed against my legs. I jerked my eyes open and pulled my legs up to myself.

"Calm down!" Octavia yelled.

"What is that?" I asked.

"It's just waxing paper, it's how we are going to shave your legs, they're so hairy."

How exactly was I supposed to get rid of the hair on my legs? Was that something that normal people did? I certainly didn't and I didn't know anyone else that did either. "Who's going to see them?" I asked.

Octavia looked shocked. "Everyone!" she gasped.

I glared at her but nodded my consent, unsure of how a piece of paper would remove hair from my legs. Maybe it dissolved the hair? As it turned out, I was very wrong about how they got hair off of your body. It was worse than anything the Games could hand to me. After handing me a thin, blue, hospital gown that I was allowed to put on, Venia grabbed the top of the strip. Just as I was about to ask her what she was doing, she ripped the strip off of me and I let out a scream that I was sure all of Panem had heard.

"Damn it! What the hell are you doing to me?" I yelled.

My prep team was watching me with wide eyes as I glared at them, rubbing my leg from the pain that was shooting through it. Did they really do that to themselves just to be pretty? With the room now in total silence, I was more embarrassed than I had been in years. Just as I was about to apologize to my Prep Team, the door flew open and I jumped at the figure that ran into the room. It was a woman that was wearing way too much makeup with green hair. I figured that she was probably another Tribute's Stylist that had heard me scream and come in to the room to make sure that everything was okay.

"My dear, Flavius! What on earth is going in in here?" the woman asked, looking directly over to me.

Embarrassed at my actions, I slumped onto the table with my face lighting up a bright red. Flavius moved away from the table and went to stand by the woman. "Carrine, I'm fine. Just a pitiful Tribute that can't even take a bit of waxing," he said.

I stopped rubbing my leg and looked up to Flavius with a glare. "I can hear you, asshole," I muttered the last part.

To my surprise I heard a laugh. There was no way that one of the Stylists was laughing at that. So who was? I looked up at the door. The Tribute that was standing there was one that I knew immediately. They had a white robe wrapped around them with tough muscles popping out. But it wasn't the muscles that were how I knew him. It was his face. High cheekbones with a chiseled bone structure. Short blonde hair and icy blue eyes. It was the man that I had promised myself that I would kill. It was Cato Hadley.

He was leaning against the door frame and was currently smirking at me. I straightened myself out slightly and glared at the man. It didn't do a damn thing to him. His eyes traveled up and down my body and I suddenly felt very self-conscious. It was the first time that I'd seen someone stare so blatantly at me. But I was not going to let him know that he was getting to me. As his eyes made their way back up to mine, I saw that there was one emotion in them - hunger. I gulped but refused to let him see that I was afraid of him.

"Oh! Flavius, Octavia, Venia, this is my Tribute, Cato Hadley."

Without even bothering to introduce me, my Prep Team left me sitting on the table and went to flock around Cato. They were all complimenting him and telling him how amazing he was and how he was going to win the Games. Not to mention that he was so much easier to deal with than me. I rolled my eyes at the group and prayed that they would leave soon. I had embarrassed myself enough for one day. And Cato was just too charming to listen to. He knew exactly how to work a crowd. But the worst parts were when the stylists would get caught up in each other and Cato would look over at me.

His eyes seemed to pierce me to my very soul. There was something in his gaze that I had never seen anyone give me before. I knew that he was scrutinizing me, so I stared him down as well. He was giving me a wide smirk when it seemed that everyone in the room suddenly remembered that I was in the room too. But it was too little too late. My Prep Team walked back over to me and thankfully Cato and Carrine stayed where they were. She grabbed his arm and motioned over to where I was sitting.

"Cato, meet the District 12 female Tribute. A -" Corrine began, before Cato cut her off.

"Aspen Antaeus," Cato purred softly at me. I stared at him in wonder. He knew who I was too. He must have seen the Reapings. Confirming what I had thought, Cato stepped forward. "I saw your Reaping."

The other four in the room momentarily forgotten, his eyes deadlocked on mine. I knew that everyone in the room was watching us right now but I wasn't going to look away from him. He had to know that I wasn't afraid of him. Nor would I ever be. Nodding at Cato, I moved my legs off of the edge of the table. I wasn't going to stand up and get yelled at by my Stylists, but I wanted to face him as much as I could. With a smirk of my own, I leaned over the edge of the table and kept my eyes locked onto Cato's.

"Did you?" I asked.

"I think everyone did."

There was something almost bitter in his words. "How did you like it?" I asked him.

It seemed that Cato knew that I was toying with him as his smile grew wider. He walked closer to the middle of the room and it was just then when I saw how good-looking he really was. His hair was a beautiful golden color and his eyes were a light blue that I could see myself in. His cheekbones were probably more prominent than mine, but his were in a healthy way. And his muscles, they popped out from every inch of his body. He was the perfect tribute, and he knew it. With another two steps forward, Cato came to a stop in front of me. He must have only been three or four feet in front of me.

"I thought it was... endearing. Very sweet the way that the little girl was Reaped and you and her sister rushed forward to save her. But you had to be valiant and protect the entire family. And then the heart wrenching way that she was pulled away from you. And then the man that stepped forward and took her away. The way that he looked at you. You could see the pain and love in his eyes," Cato said.

There was a cruel smirk in his eyes. "It's called friendship. You might be unfamiliar with the term," I said, unable to stop myself.

"I have lots of friends. Even here in the Capitol. I'd be willing to bet more than you."

Was he telling the truth? Did he already have Sponsors? Or was he just toying with me? My eyes narrowed but I kept a cool head. "I suppose we'll see," I muttered.

"We will. Then there was the speech that you gave. It melted my heart. Honestly. And the rally that your District did for you. I've never seen something like that before. You must mean a lot to all of them for them to do something like that. What does it mean?"

His smirk never once wavering through his entire speech. "It's a sign of respect," I answered.

"Really? I thought that it was a way to say goodbye," Cato said.

My jaw nearly dropped. I was glad that it didn't. He had already known what it meant. I didn't want to tell him that it was a way to say goodbye because I didn't want him to think that everyone had already resigned me to death. It turned out that it didn't matter. It was obvious that he was trying to get a rise out of me but I was determined to stay calm. I was not going to give him what he wanted. So I tried to refocus the conversation into something else.

"I'm glad that you liked it," I told him. His smirk grew slightly and he took another few steps closer to me. At this point he could have reached out and put a hand on my knee. "I enjoyed yours as well. You were so very eager. And you have all the charm too. You're the perfect Tribute."

Honestly I was hoping that he would just leave me alone. Naturally, that wasn't the way that things were going to work. My legs were slightly open and, to my shock, Cato placed himself in between them. I had to struggle to not touch him in any way and keep any distance between us that I could. I had been trying so hard to keep calm but I couldn't do it anymore. My face lit and I looked away from Cato. But I was determined to prove that I could hold my own against him. I looked back up and immediately caught his eyes. They were beautiful. For a beautiful monster. He slowly leaned forward and for a minute, I thought that he would kiss me. But that was a foolish thought. Instead, he leaned down to my ear and let his lips ghost past them.

"You may think that you have a shot at winning, but you don't. I'm going to make sure that every other Tribute knows that you're mine. I'll let you live for a while, but only so that I can play with you. In every way possible. And then, when the time comes, I'm going to kill you. In the most painful way possible. Just like your mommy and daddy," he said.

My entire body stiffened and I watched with fierce eyes as Cato pulled away from me. "You stay the fuck away from me," I warned.

It was exactly what I'd wondered would happen. At least one of the Tributes knew about my parents and he would plan on using it. I was sure that it was only a matter of time before the rest of the Tributes knew about them too. The Careers would likely have a field day with it. Cato wore a huge smirk, knowing that he had gotten to me. My eyes darkened and I had to restrain myself from reaching out to attack him. Cato slowly backed away from me and his Stylist came from behind, grabbing his arm.

"Come on now, Cato. We have lots to do and only eight hours to do so!" Carrine babbled at him.

Instead of saying anything to her, he merely nodded. To my ultimate displeasure his eyes were still locked on me. I wanted him gone and I wanted to never see him again. His presence here was going to give me nightmares. Thankfully he was leaving. I didn't know how much longer I would be able to do this. Finally he turned and walked out of the doorway. But before he actually left the room, he turned back around and gave me a smirk.

"I'll be seeing you real soon," he said, a twinkle in his eyes.

A moment later he turned his back to me and left the room, following his Stylist back out and into the hallway. Flavius walked over to the door and shut it. Even they could respect the intensity of what had just happened. The room was silent, more silent than I had heard it yet. I would have preferred their babbling, this silence was horrible. To my delight though, the babbling started soon after they laid me back down on the table and took away the blue hospital gown.

"My goodness, now that is a perfect Tribute!"

"He probably isn't so hairy!"

"I'm sure he has a better attitude!"

"And not nearly as much to do to him!"

Their voices were all running together and I couldn't understand whose was whose. Even Flavius sounded a little bit like Venia and Octavia. Considering that they were all shouting I wasn't sure who was saying what so I tuned them out and was left with my own thoughts. That and the pain of getting my legs waxed. It was worse than the time that I'd taken off half of my big toe nail during a hunting accident. I grit my teeth as Venia, whose aqua hair and gold tattoos were flooding in my vision, yanked a strip of fabric from my leg which tore out the hair beneath it. I couldn't understand how hair was still there.

"Sorry! You're just so hairy!" she exclaimed, like it was my fault.

"Oh, thanks," I growled.

Everything about the Capitol citizens annoyed me. Their entire existence on this planet annoyed me. Why did all of these people have to speak in such a high pitch? Why did their jaws barely open when they talked? Why did the ends of their sentences go up as if they're asking a question all the time? There were odd vowels, clipped words, and always a hiss on the letters... It was no wonder that it was impossible not to mimic them. Venia made what was supposed to be a sympathetic face.

"Good news, though. This is the last one. Ready?" she asked.

"Sure."

There wouldn't be a good time for all of this to happen. I was just ready to move onto something else. This was getting seriously painful and I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take. I managed to get a good grip on the edges of the table I was seated on and nod at Venia. The final swathe of my leg hair was uprooted in a painful jerk. As the pain continued to echo through my body I tried to think of anything else. Unfortunately it wasn't something that I wanted to think of.

My mind went back to the one thing that I had been trying so hard to not think about over the past few minutes. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I had met Cato Hadley. And he had been the nightmare that I had been expecting. He might have even been worse. I wasn't expecting the comments about my parents. I hissed slightly as another strip of hair was torn off - as it turned out that the last one wasn't really the last one - and muttered a few choice curse words. Going back to my thoughts, I couldn't believe that he had done what he had.

He had stood in between my legs and told me that I was his to kill. He would make me live through the majority of the Games just so that he could kill me at the end. All so that he could kill me the way that the District 2 males before him had killed my parents. How had he known about them? More than likely, Brutus had told him. I knew why he was gunning for me too. Despite what my Prep Team said, I knew that I was pretty and that drew the attention of the Capitol. I had drawn a huge crowd at my Reaping too. I had become a Tribute to keep an eye on from the moment I said 'I volunteer.'

That wasn't to mention my little stunt with the boy named Gale as we were making our way into the Remake Center. He really had been a sweet looking kid. I couldn't believe that he lived in a place like this and thought of it as home. No one ever did something like I had done with Gale. And I hadn't meant to but he did remind me of my Gale back home. Gale. I wondered what he was doing right now. I wondered what Katniss and the others were doing.

Gale was more than likely out hunting with Katniss. The two of them were probably sitting in silence, brooding over what had happened to me. They were probably thinking about what I was going through right now. Torture, absolute torture. I hoped that they were both doing okay. I didn't want anyone to slip into depression if I was to die. I wanted them to be happy that I had saved them from one more year. Be happy that I would finally be with my family. Be happy at the life that I had gotten to live. And Prim, I wanted her to grow up happy and in a world that was free of the Games. But it was too late for that.

"You're doing very well," Flavius said, interrupting my thoughts. I glanced over at him. He gave his orange corkscrew locks a shake and applied a fresh coat of purple lipstick to his mouth. "If there's one thing we can't stand, it's a whiner."

"Yes. I could imagine how that would be bothersome," I growled, under my breath.

"Grease her down!" Flavius howled.

Grease me down? I hissed again when the wax paper had pulled at my arms. Why they were shaving my arms, I had no idea. What was even more shocking was that they continued shaving even after that. Under my arms and somewhere much more private. There had been a magnificent argument over that. An argument that I had lost. My tanned skin was now a bright pink from all of the waxing and I glowered at my prep team. I didn't look good. I looked like a lobster. As I began to wipe my face, Venia swatted my hands away and brought a sharp tool up to my eyebrows, which I pushed away.

Venia scowled at me and rolled her eyes. "It's for tweezing your eyebrows. Stop struggling," she said.

"No way," I said determinedly.

But Venia wasn't having any of it. I couldn't really have been shocked. They were the professionals and were used to annoying Tributes. Knowing that it was useless to argue I nodded at her and closed my eyes. Unfortunately I was still squinting with every time that she plucked an eyebrow. It hurt but it was nowhere near as bad as the waxing. The waxing was definitely the worst. Venia spent about twenty minutes on my eyebrows before she finally nodded at me.

"Much better," she said, nodding at me. Venia stood me up and led me over to a tub that held a milky white substance.

I stared at the bath for a moment before turning back to Venia. "What is that?" I asked.

"It will help with the stinging, dear," she explained, with her annoying Capitol accent.

Nodding at her again, I took Flavius's arm and let him help me into the bath. I had thought that it would sting but to my pleasure, it was more calming than anything else. They had me sit in the bath for nearly an hour while I just laid there and let Octavia play with my nails. The grating and snipping at my fingertips was annoying, but I was just have to deal with it. I was done fighting with people for one day. Octavia finally released my hand and told me to hold it in the milky liquid. I dropped my hand into the tub and ran my fingers over them. They were soft and it felt like they had some type of gel on them.

Another twenty minutes later, they called me out of the tub and I nodded. Standing up and stepping out of the tub, I was brought to the other side of the room. I looked down at my skin and saw that I was now back to my original tan color. The red markings from the pain were gone. Whatever that milky stuff was, it worked pretty well. I had thought that we were done poking and prodding at me, but it turned out that I was dead wrong. Flavius wore a small orange coat and walked me under what looked like a shower head. It already looked wonderfully horrible.

Flavius turned the shower on and I grimaced as Octavia and Flavius scrubbed me down from head to toe. The thick bristles of the brushes hurt as they scraped and scratched over every inch of my body. Including in places that I was sure that I had never tried to scrub before. Apparently there were a number more nooks and crannies in the human body than I had thought that there were. I hoped that the scrubbing process wouldn't go on for that long as I was sure that I was going to start bleeding from their force.

Luckily for me, it didn't. Flavius eventually took the brushes away from me and put some type of liquid in my hair. It felt like the glue that Prim used for her school projects. Flavius let the liquid sit on my scalp for a little bit before taking me back under the water and letting me rinse it out. It felt like I was drowning as he forced my head under the water. As Octavia helped me wash the last bit of the stuff out of my hair, Flavius took me away from the shower stall and brought me to a chair, where I was finally allowed to put the blue hospital gown back on. I slipped it on and laid back in the chair as instructed.

"My dear, I think that we would do best giving you a small dye," Flavius said.

"What?" I asked, slightly horrified.

They were going to kill me already? What did they mean that they wanted to give me a small die? "I want to dye the tips of your hair a bright red," Flavius said, showing me the dye.

Now I understood. He wanted to dye my hair the same way that the Capitol people did. The color was pretty, but I really did like the blonde hair that I had. "Will it last?" I asked.

"It isn't permanent. It will wash out by the time the Games start."

Knowing that it wouldn't be permanent, I nodded at Flavius. "Go ahead," I confirmed.

At least they were asking me if it was okay. As he went to fixing the dye, Octavia leaned down to my feet and began to do my toe nails. I groaned, knowing that this would keep me here for at least another hour. Another hour it was. Flavius had cut my hair an inch or so, to get rid of the dead ends he had said. He finally dyed the last few inches of my hair the bright red. He had also done something called layering to my hair. Whatever that meant. Octavia had rounded both my fingernails and toenails and painted them with a swirling fire pattern. I actually smiled when I saw the pattern. It was pretty cute.

Laying back down on the table, Flavius put my hair in a small bucket and washed it out. In the meantime Venia and Octavia were running my body over with some type of body lotion. Whatever it was, it made my skin super soft. As Flavius finished drying my hair I could only pray that they were done with whatever it was that they were doing. He was fluffing my hair out behind me and I figured that this was the end of my so-called transformation. The rest of my Prep Team were standing off to the side, whispering about something and pointing back to the tub.

"What's that?" I asked them, but they merely ignored me. "What's that?"

This time it seemed that my Prep Team actually heard me as Flavius turned back and smiled. "We were just saying that we might need to hose you down again before we take you to Cinna," he said.

I rolled my eyes. I had been hosed down and poked and prodded enough for one day. The three walked back over to me and gave me a good once over. "No, I think she's done," Octavia said.

"Come on dear," Flavius called.

Finally I would get away from them. At least in the next room I would only have to deal with the one man. I nodded and stood up, taking the white robe that Flavius had offered me. The four of us walked out of the room and down the hallway. It surprised me that there weren't that many people in the hallway, but I guess that I was glad. I didn't really want anyone seeing me. Not after my fiasco with the waxing earlier and the tense meeting with Cato. The three stepped back and admired their work before letting me go too far.

"Excellent! You almost look like a human being now!" Flavius said excitedly.

They all laughed. Don't be an ass, Aspen. I forced my lips up into a smile to show how grateful I was. "Thank you. We don't have much cause to look nice in District 12," I said sweetly.

Just as expected, this won them over completely. "Of course, you don't, you poor darling!" Octavia said, clasping her hands together in distress for me.

"But don't worry. By the time Cinna is through with you, you're going to be absolutely gorgeous!" Venia chirped.

"We promise! You know, now that we've gotten rid of all the hair and filth, you're not horrible at all!" Flavius said encouragingly.

"Thank you," I grit between my teeth.

They grabbed me by the arms and forced me to keep walking with them. They were still chattering with each other but I was trying very hard to tune them out. Despite everything it was hard to hate my Prep Team. They're such total idiots. And yet, in an odd way, I knew that they were sincerely trying to help me. We took a few more turns and my Prep Team led me down a hallway with only two doors. One read 'Cinna' and the other read 'Portia.' I assumed that Cinna was my Head Stylist and Portia was Peeta's. In the back of my mind, I wondered if Peeta was done yet.

"Cinna is waiting for you in there. Don't be nervous, he's a genius," Flavius said with a smile.

"Thank you."

They gave me another quick reassurance that I would be fine and told me that we would see each other at the Tribute Parade. I had a feeling that they would only make me even more nervous. The three Capitol people smiled and turned away, walking back down the hallway, babbling to each other just the way that they had when I had first met them. They seemed to be encouraged that I would do well and that Cinna would know exactly what to do with me. I couldn't believe that I'd met them four hours ago. I only had five more left before the Tribute Parade.

Pushing the door open I walked into the room and took a good look around. It was much smaller than the other room and looked much less like a doctor's office. There was only a small couch with a coffee table set out in front of it, a pedestal in the center of the room, and a rack with a few bags on it in the corner. I assumed that in the bags held my costume for the Tribute Parade. I let the door shut softly behind me and sighed. The quiet was something that I should savor for now, I wouldn't have it much longer.

The door in the back of the room opened and I glanced up from my bare feet. A man finally came into view and I gaped at him. He had dark skin and was tall, probably about Haymitch's height. He was toned, but nothing too extreme. He was dressed rather blandly for the Capitol with slick black shoes, black dress pants, and a black button down shirt. He had short and dark hair. He didn't look like anyone in the Capitol. That already made him ten times better. The only thing that looked even the tiniest bit Capitol-like was a slim wing of gold eyeliner on his top eyelid, but it seemed to suit him nicely.

His brown eyes were warm and inviting as he walked up to me and held out his hand. "That was all the bravest thing I've ever seen. I'm Cinna," he told me. I took his hand and shook it.

To my delight, he had a deep voice that had no Capitol accent. Deciding that it was probably for the best to play nice with the guy that was going to expose me to the Capitol - and President Snow - I gave him a small smile and looked him directly in the eye. He was much softer spoken than the rest of my Prep Team. It was something that I appreciated.

"Aspen. And thank you," I added, remembering my manners.

He could have ignored the fact that I had been a volunteer, but it was sweet that he remembered. Cinna led me over to the white couch that was on the left of the room and motioned me to sit down with him. "I'm sorry that this happened to you. And I'm here to help you in any way I can," he said, with sincere eyes.

My newly redone eyebrows shot to the top of my forehead. "Really? Most people just congratulate me," I said.

It was true. Effie and Haymitch had both congratulated me - although Haymitch had been sarcastic. My entire Prep Team had congratulated me, all while babbling about what a great honor this was. All of the reporters had been congratulating me. Everyone that covered the Games on television from the Capitol were congratulating the Tributes. No one had said they were sorry. Not even Katniss or Gale. We had been too preoccupied with our goodbyes. Peeta hadn't either; we were just trying to make each other comfortable. Cinna was the first - and only - person to say that he was sorry for me. I respected that.

Cinna shook his head and kept his eyes on mine. Only looking away for a moment to pour tea for the both of us and hand me cup. "Thank you," I whispered.

I took a sip of the drink. It tasted like lemons and I savored the flavor with each small sip. "You're welcome. I don't see the point in that," Cinna said. I smiled at him. I had a good feeling that Cinna and I would be good friends. After a few minutes of sipping the tea in silence, Cinna put his cup down on the table and I followed suit. "So tonight... they have the Tribute Parade. Let me take you out and show you off to the world."

In my excitement I'd almost forgotten that I was here to be a dress up doll. Another thing for the Capitol to play with. I frowned as I looked him over. "So you're here to make me look pretty," I stated.

It seemed that he knew what he had told me had upset me as he shook his head and laid a hand on top of mine. "I'm here to help you make an impression," he said.

"Okay," I said.

The two of us sat for a while and I blushed softly as his gaze traveled over me. "Where did you get your hair from?" Cinna finally asked.

My head? "Excuse me?" I asked, surprised.

Cinna merely smiled at me. "Your parents. Did they have hair like yours?" he clarified.

"I don't know. They died before I could remember them. They competed in the Games two years apart."

My stomach turned itself in knots. Just under two decades ago my parents had been sitting in this very spot. Cinna looked horrified. Did he not know about them? He leaned forward and laid a hand on my knee. "My deepest apologies. I don't keep close tabs on the Games. I wasn't made aware," he said softly.

He didn't keep close tabs on the Games? Cinna got stranger and stranger by the second. "That's alright. People say I have my mother's hair," I said, fingering at the ends.

"She must have been just as beautiful as you are," Cinna commented.

"Thank you," I said, blushing softly.

"It's beautiful. A classic color really. And in almost perfect balance with your profile," Cinna explained.

I wasn't sure what he meant but I knew that it was a compliment. "Thank you," I repeated.

Pulling my robe a little tighter around me, I shifted on the couch. I glanced over towards the fourth wall in the room. It was entirely glass, providing a window to the city. The light gave away that it was late afternoon, although the sunny sky had turned overcast. Cinna pressed a button on the side of the table and I watched as the top split. From below a second tabletop rose and I saw that it held our lunch. Chicken and chunks of oranges cooked in a creamy sauce laid on a bed of pearly white grain, tiny green peas and onions, rolls shaped like flowers, and for dessert, a pudding the color of honey.

My jaw almost dropped. I tried to imagine assembling this meal myself back home. Chickens were too expensive, but I could make do with a wild turkey. I'd need to shoot a second turkey to trade for an orange. Goat's milk would have to substitute for cream. We could grow peas in the garden. I'd have to get wild onions from the woods. I couldn't recognize the grain. Our Tessera ration cooks down to an unattractive brown mush. Fancy rolls would mean another trade with the baker, perhaps for two or three squirrels. As for the pudding, I couldn't even guess what was in it.

Days of hunting and gathering for this one meal and even then it would be a poor substitution for the Capitol version. What must it be like, I wondered, to live in a world where food appeared at the press of a button? How would I have spent the hours that I now committed to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by? What do they do all day, these people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of Tributes to roll in and die for their entertainment?

I looked up and found Cinna's eyes trained on mine. "How despicable we must seem to you," he said.

Had he seen my reaction to the food in my face or somehow read my thoughts? It made me feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. Cinna seemed to be a nice man but he was still from the Capitol. He wasn't a man from the Districts. He didn't understand the struggle we went through. Yet he seemed to understand the way that I looked at him. And he didn't seem bothered by it. He was right, though. The whole rotten lot of the Capitol people are despicable for far more than the Games.

"I think you're different," I finally said.

"Good," Cinna said, almost making me smile. "Now usually, they dress people in costumes that are close to their District."

This was the part that I hadn't been looking forward to. I shuddered and remembered the costumes that our District usually got. Normally we were dressed up as coal miners, seeing as we were the coal District, and it was always awful. They were baggy costumes that didn't show anything off to the world. The worst thing that I had ever seen was the costumes that they had worn last year. The Tributes had been naked, dusted in black sparkly powder. Now that had been a nightmare. I had never felt so bad for someone in my life. They had looked mortified.

Most other years the Head Stylist would put them in something like a skimpier version of the coal mining outfits, attempting to make them look sexier. It never worked. Shaking my head at what was likely to happen to me this year, I swallowed sharply. Cinna seemed nice and bright, but I was sure that he was still a traditional Stylist. Cinna seemed smart, but he was still from the Capitol. Taking in a deep breath, I nodded at Cinna, realizing that he was waiting for me to speak.

"Yeah. We're called miners. Makes for a lovely costume. You're not gonna dust me in powder are you?" I asked, unable to keep it inside.

Instead of yelling at me or getting angry like I had expected, Cinna laughed. He certainly wasn't the kind of person that I had been expecting. I smiled at the man, glad that he at least had a sense of humor. Good thing that he wasn't the same Stylist as last year or this probably wouldn't have gone very well. Shaking his head, Cinna stood up and gave me a hand. I took it and allowed him to bring me over to the pedestal. Now on the platform, I stood eye to eye with him.

"Don't worry. I don't want to do that. I'm gonna do something that they're gonna remember. Did they explain about trying to get Sponsors?" he asked.

I groaned and nodded. According to Haymitch, I wasn't doing very good so far. I dropped my gaze to my feet again. "Yeah, but I'm not very good at making friends. Back home I only have three friends. Four I guess if you count the Mayor's daughter. But that's only because I sell her father strawberries," I explained.

Some part of me had wanted to continue talking but I clenched my jaw shut. I had a bad habit of babbling when I got nervous. Cinna smiled at me and I returned it. "They seem like they are lovely people. As for as not making friends, we'll see," Cinna said, with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I'm not very nice," I muttered.

"The Capitol may disagree with you. The reporters and that little boy seemed very fond of you," Cinna said.

I smiled at him. "We'll see how long that lasts," I said.

My smile dropped as his face grew a little more serious. "I just think, somebody that brave shouldn't be dressed up in some stupid costume," Cinna said, with a devious smile.

I wondered what he was talking about, but I didn't think that he would tell me even if I asked. Instead I shook my head and gave him a friendly look. "I hope not," I said.

Cinna gave me a grateful smile and backed away slightly. He looked me over and nodded to himself. "Can you drop the robe?" he asked.

I didn't want to drop the robe but I had been violated so much today that I had become numb to being naked in front of people I barely knew. Besides, I trusted Cinna. He seemed like a genuinely nice person that wanted me to succeed in this competition. Taking in a deep breath, I dropped the robe and held my breath while Cinna walked around me, muttering to himself. I was slightly uncomfortable but I didn't want to complain to a man that was trying to help me. I still had to suppress the urge to cross my arms over my chest. Cinna finally came back around to the front of me and stopped.

"Aspen, are you afraid of fire?" he asked. I stared at him in shock for a moment, shaking my head.

Five hours had passed since Cinna and I had first met. I'd thought that something terrible was going to happen to me. Fire didn't sound like something that was supposed to go with clothing. Fire was one of those things that only got worse when it was fed by something like fabric. The whole thing made me nervous but I wanted to be respectful with Cinna so I kept my mouth shut. The first thing that Cinna had done was take my measurements and allow me to put my robe back on. He had called me over to the couch and sat me down, with a notepad in one hand that was faced away from me.

He had told me that he was working on the finishing touches to my costume. Obviously he needed my measurements before finishing it. He had clearly wanted me to feel comfortable as he offered me cup of tea after cup of tea. I was shocked that he wasn't angry with how much I had to go to the bathroom. As the two of us ate and Cinna drew out the costume, he had asked me all about my home life. What District 12 was like, what I did there, what my friends were like, and my family. The last one had ended quickly when Cinna realized that I knew almost nothing about them.

But I had told him all about The Seam and The Hob, not to mention the woods that surrounded District 12. I was careful not to mention hunting or any other names that had anything to do with any of the many illegal things that I did back home. I trusted Cinna but I didn't know if there was any cameras around and hunting was still very much illegal in all of the Districts. They didn't want us out beyond their control. I told Cinna that I mostly sold meat and would occasionally take care of kids in The Seam for money, still careful to not mention hunting. I also told him about Prim and why I had volunteered for her.

By the time that I'd gotten around to telling him about Katniss he had said that she sounded like me. I smiled at the notion and told him that he would have liked her. And then I told him about Gale, not really sure where to stop. Cinna had said that I sounded very attached to him. I nodded but said that I wasn't sure how I felt about him. My Stylist had smiled and told me that when I won, I would know. I hadn't bothered acknowledging the fact that he had said that I would win, but I appreciated it.

Cinna had stood me up after he was done with the drawing and brought me over to a small vanity in the corner of the room. There was no mirror so I still didn't know what I looked like. He fluffed my hair out and smiled, telling me that it was beautiful and Flavius had done well. I smiled and sat still while he did my hair. I wasn't really sure what he had done, but I would know soon enough. After setting the odd-looking hair tools down, he pulled out palettes of dark and light colored makeup. I had never worn makeup before. I'd almost laughed as his brushes and pencils worked their way over my face, tickling me.

It had taken him an hour just to finish off my face. When he had finished the makeup he'd had me sit down on the couch with some type of cooking show for the Capitol on while he made the finishing touches on the costume. About two hours later he had called me over to get changed. I had stood up on the pedestal with my eyes closed, as per Cinna's command, and let him help me get changed. I had been afraid that he would put me in high heels but the man had merely smiled and told me that he wanted some part of me to be natural. I laughed when I realized that he had meant that he wanted me barefoot.

Having me barefoot was a much better idea than having me fall face-first off of the chariot. Now I was standing on the pedestal, apparently completely ready for the Tribute Parade. But Cinna was still making a few last minute adjustments to the costume. It seemed to have lots of little pieces to it. He had told me that I wasn't allowed to move or look until he was done. Finally Cinna's hands that had been floating over my outfit stopped and I heard him shuffle off to the side.

"Now you may look," Cinna said.

I opened my eyes and saw that there was a full length mirror in front of me. As my eyes traveled up my body, I gawked like an idiot at myself. My hair was incredible. It was half up and half down, curled in big curls that partially framed my face. It was the normal bright blonde at the top and a bright red at the bottom. I smiled at the red gems that were in my hair at the top and the white that were in my hair at the bottom. Glancing down slightly, I looked at my face and saw my eyes shoot open. My eyebrows were perfectly framed against the top of my eyes and seemed to be filled in by a dark blonde pencil.

My eyelashes were coated in a dark black mascara, and the crease lines of my eyes were filled in with a thick black line. The lids of my eyes were black with a dark sparkly red over the top. The entire look darkened my bluish-brown eyes and made them look like I was silently calling someone to bed. But it was beautiful. My cheeks were lightly dusted with a pink blush that made me look radiant and my cheekbones stood out with the sweet color. My lips were coated in a wet looking pink gloss that was surely there to make my lips look like they were ready to be kissed.

Dropping my eyes to the outfit I was shocked at what I saw. The dress hit the floor and hid my bare feet. It hugged my chest tightly, showing just the right amount of cleavage. The dress was also tight to the bottom of my butt before it expanded softly in layers of black and red fabric, the bottom layer sporting a fire pattern that was visible through the thin fabric. It had pretty sparkles all along the dress that caught the light no matter which way that I turned and a wrinkled pattern on the fabric at the top. The entire outfit matched my whole look so well.

It was definitely the prettiest that I'd ever looked. I wasn't even sure that I recognized myself. Would any of the rest of my friends realize that it was really me? For a moment I didn't understand what the costume had to do with my District, no matter how pretty it was. But suddenly it hit me like one of the Capitol trains. Fire. When we had coal, we needed fire to break it down. He was making me the fire. The fire that would break down the other Tributes. My face broke out in a smile and I walked over to Cinna.

"Thank you so much, Cinna. It's beautiful," I said.

Cinna nodded and motioned me to turn around. I did a quick spin for him and he smiled at me. "Yes, you are," he said.

It made another small smile tilt the corners of my lips upwards. I took his hand as he led me out of the room and into the area for the Tribute Parade. It was essentially a giant stable. There were about fifty Capitol people walking back and forth to prepare for the Tribute Parade. I was nervous for people to see me so dolled up, especially Gale and Katniss, but this was the last time that they would really see me before the Interviews. I might as well make a show out of it. As we walked, Cinna caught my arm and leaned down to my ear.

"Remember what we talked about would happen?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Good. Just remember, don't panic."

"I'll try very hard not to," I muttered, making Cinna smile.

We stopped outside the entrance to the Tribute loading area. It was the area where the horses and chariots, along with the other Tributes, would be waiting for the Parade to start. Cinna told me that we were waiting for Peeta and Portia and I nodded at him. It was hard to concentrate over the hustle and bustle of all of the Capitol people running around. I took in a deep breath when I began to hear the roar of the Capitol people on the other side of the door. The loading bay was directly in front of the entrance to the Parade where one hundred thousand Capitol people would be waiting to see us.

The thought made me sick. I'd never seen that many people at once. I saw Peeta and Portia swing around the corner and I smiled at the two. Portia looked like a Capitol woman, but by the way that she was speaking with Peeta and waved at both Cinna and me told me that she was nice enough. Peeta came up beside me and I saw that his eyes were glued to me. I smiled at him and laughed. After exchanging a few brief words with Portia, Cinna pulled Peeta and I over with him before we would walk through the door.

"It's not real fire. These costumes are built so you won't feel a thing," he said.

"Okay," Peeta said.

We both smiled and nodded at him before he turned away from us, once more talking to Portia. It left us to our own devices for the time being. Peeta turned to face me and gave me a huge smile. His eyes were running up and down my body. I knew that he wasn't doing it to be weird, but I was still slightly creeped out. I just wasn't comfortable with people paying so much attention to me. I guessed that it would be something that I would have to learn to get over. He finally looked back up and gave me a small hug.

"You look amazing," he said, with a genuine smile that I was happy to return.

Pulling out of his arms I gave him a once over and smiled at him. "Thanks. So do you," I said.

And he did. He wasn't dressed in something that was quite as fancy as mine was. I assumed that Cinna had tried to make us unified but still separate. They had done a good job. Peeta was wearing a black leather suit that made him look like quite the tough guy. It covered him from the tips of his boots to the base of his throat. His hair was slicked back and the boots that he was wearing made it look like he could stomp the competition.

"Where's Haymitch?" Peeta asked.

"I don't know, but with all of that alcohol around him it's probably not advisable to have him so close to an open flame," I said.

We both laughed at my comment, drawing some attention to us. This normally wasn't the time that people could hear Tributes laughing. This was usually one of the most serious times of the Games, besides the moment that they actually began. We quieted ourselves as Peeta gave me another smile and I grinned back at him. Cinna and Portia walked back over to the two of us and we both gave them grateful smiles. They had done this. Portia pulled Peeta off to the side and Cinna leaned into me.

"You ready?" he asked.

I didn't know if I would ever be ready, but I nodded anyways. "As I'll ever be," I said.

"Don't be afraid," Cinna said.

"I'm not afraid."

And I wasn't lying. I was nervous about everyone getting to see me in something like this, but I wasn't afraid. Nothing that any of the Tributes or President Snow or the Capitol people could do or say would change that. I was determined to prove that I wasn't afraid. Cinna nodded and led me into the loading bay, with Peeta and Portia behind us. It was a huge tunnel with people running back and forth. Cinna nodded me to the back of the line of chariots. Peeta walked ahead of me and I took a deep breath. The Mentors, Escorts, and Stylists weren't allowed to see us again until after the Parade.

I did wish that they could walk over with us. I took a deep breath and walked forward, passing the first of the chariots that held the District 1 Tributes. Marvel and Glimmer. They looked ridiculous, dressed like some pink bird. The Capitol would love them anyways. Marvel's snake-like eyes followed me as I walked by their chariot. I could have slapped him right there. I knew what he was thinking. Glimmer on the other hand was giving me a glare that could kill. Not making things any better, I gave her the tiniest of winks before moving past them. I could just barely hear Glimmer yelling at Marvel to stop laughing.

Moving past the two of them, I stared in wonder at the District 2 chariot. They were dressed like Ancient Greek warriors. They would easily be the favorites this year. It made sense that they were dressed like that, since they both practically were warriors. I noticed that Cato's costume showed off his muscles. Clove was the first of their Tributes to notice me. She looked down at me and sneered, poking at Cato to get his attention. He looked over with a sigh, but as soon as his eyes caught me they widened. As fast as they widened, they went back to his classic smirk.

"Looking good Twelve," Cato called. I rolled my eyes and continued walking, feeling my stomach churn. Just as I moved past their chariot he called back to me. "Remember my promise!"

No, thank you. Shaking my head, I sped my walk up slightly and made my way over to my chariot with my head down. Watching the wheels of the chariots as I walked by, I felt the eyes of every Tribute on me. Hitting the District 4 chariot, I walked past it and looked up. Turing to the side, I saw Finnick Odair standing in the distance. He looked me up and down and gave me a smile. It wasn't a lustful or non-genuine smile. He seemed to mean it. Smiling back at him, I continued my walk to my chariot only looking up when I saw that I was coming up on the District 11 chariot.

I smiled when I saw that Rue was standing in her chariot, her head barely reaching over the top. She looked over at me and I gave the girl a small smile. She reminded me so much of Prim as she smiled back at me. Looking up, I saw that Thresh was glancing down at me and there was a dark glare on his face. I dropped my smile and nodded at the larger Tribute. To my surprise, he nodded back.

Walking past I finally came up on the District 12 chariot. It was decorated in coal dust and painted red and black. I walked up to the black stallion that would draw it and smiled at the horse. I gave it a quick pat on the nose before taking my place. The chariot was definitely taller than I was expecting. I was a little too short to make it up. Peeta smiled at my obvious lack of height and gave me a hand up into the chariot. I walked to the front of the chariot and grabbed onto the wood.

"Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome. Good luck."

"You too."

His hand was on the wood with mine and I saw that he was shaking slightly. Maybe he wasn't playing a game as I'd initially thought. Or maybe he was. It was what I had to remember made Peeta dangerous. I couldn't get a read on him. Peeta gave me a quick smile and a reassuring squeeze on the arm. Considering there was no one still walking around the floor and all of the Tributes were in place, I assumed that the Parade was about to start. I heard the sound of the microphone out in the arena and knew that Caesar was about to start commenting.

"Over one hundred thousand people, craning to get a glimpse at this year's Tributes. And the Sponsors get to see the Tributes for the first time. The importance of this moment cannot be over stated," Caesar said, his voice amplified by the microphone.

They had an interesting definition of importance. I rolled my eyes at the announcing. This moment was important but not nearly as important for us as the Bloodbath. That was where we determined whether or not we would live even a few hours into the Games. Feeling the nerves start to kick in at the thought of so many people seeing me, I watched as a man from the Capitol walked over to the front of the chariots and began to call to all of the other workers, with his hand on an ear piece.

"First cheers on my counting in Fifteen... fourteen... thirteen..." he counted down.

We were about to head out there. My hands were now shaking just the same way that Peeta's were. Taking a few deep breaths, I tuned out the screams of the crowd and the chattering of the people in the loading bay. I just had to focus on not falling off of the back of the chariot. Turning back I saw that my Stylists, Cinna, Effie, and Haymitch were all standing on the back wall. Haymitch wore a small smile and cocked his eyebrow at me while Cinna gave me a confident smile. Effie was blabbering to Portia and my own Prep Team, pointing to me.

My entire body gave a small jump when the opening music began. It was easy to hear, being blasted around the Capitol. The massive doors that hid us from the runway slid open revealing the crowd-lined streets. There were even more people than I'd thought that there would be. The ride would last about twenty minutes and end up at the City Circle, where they would welcome us, play the anthem, and escort us into the Training Center, which would serve as our home and prison until the Games began.

Turning back to the entrance to the arena, I listened to the announcing. "Here they are. Here they are. This year's Tributes. The most exciting part... it just gives you goosebumps. Don't you love how the Stylists, they so clearly are able to reflect the character of each District? There's District 4! Fishing. I get it. I like it. That's very good. And behind them... we have two power plant workers," Caesar was saying.

Most of the Tributes chariots had already left the building and were starting the journey out to the President's home. That would be where the address would be given. Our chariot finally began to move and I gripped tightly onto the wood, hoping that I wasn't about to fall. I watched the District 11 chariot leave the gate ahead of us. And then, finally, it was our turn. I squinted at the camera flashes that were all around me and stumbled slightly as I was hit with flowers from each direction.

"And then... what is that in the background?" Caesar asked.

I looked up at the screens to see what they were talking about, and was shocked at what I saw. It was me. And I was on fire. Literally. The dress was swirling with flames and I couldn't help but smile. It didn't hurt. It just left a small tingle. Looking to my left I saw that Peeta's cape was on fire and I smiled at him. He was eating up the attention. Turning back to my right, I smiled at the crowd and began to wave. I hated this but I needed to win over the crowd. A rose came flying over at me from the middle of the stands and I caught it. Kissing the flower I threw it back to the crowd, who roared loudly at my trick.

They were mistaking my laughter at their excitement over seeing me that they mistook it for genuine happiness or excitement. I knew that Katniss and Gale would know the difference. They would be laughing too. I was so busy laughing at the ridiculous crowd that I didn't even notice Peeta's hand slip into mine. When he grabbed it, I jerked away and ripped my hand back from him. Was he planning on throwing me from the chariot? He gave me a desperate look and discreetly pointed to the crowd.

"Come on. They'll love it," he whispered.

He made a point. "Okay," I said.

Nodding, I grabbed his hand and the crowd lit up in roars again. Smiling at the attention that was clearly all on us, I laughed as Peeta held our hand up together. "Now see that? I love that. Two young people, holding their hands up! Saying, 'I'm proud, I'm from District 12! We will not be overlooked!' I love that. People are sure gonna be paying attention to them right now!" Caesar told Claudius over the intercom.

At least he wasn't saying that we were being morons. I smiled at the attention we were getting and kept my hand in Peeta's as we approached President Snow's house. The pounding music, the cheers, the admiration worked their way into my blood, and I couldn't suppress my excitement. Cinna was giving me a great advantage. No one would forget me. Not my look or my name. Aspen. The girl who was on fire. For the first time, I felt a flicker of hope rise up in me. There had to be one Sponsor willing to take me on. With a little extra help, some food, and the right weapon, why should I count myself out of the Games?

There was actually a good chance that we could make this whole thing work out for me. If Effie and Haymitch could get their acts together I knew that I would actually have a good chance at winning the Games. It was the first time that I'd really thought that I might have a chance. Someone else threw me another red rose. Like the one before I caught it, giving it a delicate sniff, and blew a kiss back in the general direction of the giver. A hundred hands reached up to catch my kiss, as if it was a real and tangible thing.

It made me furious. These people had kind hearts. I genuinely believed that they did. If they had been raised just a little differently, Panem could have been such a wondrous place. I wondered what the people of the United States of America would see if they knew what had happened to their once home. The twelve chariots filled the loop of the City Circle. On the buildings that surrounded the Circle, every window is packed with the most prestigious citizens of the Capitol. Our horses pulled our chariot right up to President Snow's mansion and we came to a halt. The music ended with a flourish.

My hand had been in the air. As we came to a complete stop I dropped my hand but kept it firmly in Peeta's. He was giving the courage to keep standing and smiling. If he could do it, I could do it. President Snow was standing on his patio and I hoped for nothing more than him to fall off of it. Maybe it would end the Games. Naturally that wouldn't happen. With the wave of his hand the crowd quieted and he began the same short speech he did every year.

"Welcome. Welcome. Tributes. We welcome you. We salute... the courage... and your sacrifice." The crowd began roaring as Peeta and I exchanged a look. "And we wish you... happy Hunger Games. And may the odds be ever in your favor," President Snow finished.

The crowd went up in a large cheer than before. I shivered as he looked down at me. The president was a small, thin man with paper-white hair. It was traditional to cut away to the faces of the Tributes during the speech. But I could see on the screen that we were getting way more than our share of airtime. The darker it became, the more difficult it was to take your eyes off our flickering. When the national anthem plays, they did make an effort to do a quick cut around to each pair of Tributes, but the camera held on the District 12 chariot.

As we left the home of Presides Snow, I noticed that my fire was beginning to dissolve my costume. Peeta had noticed too. I looked down at the dress and began to panic internally. What was happening? The fire that had been floating on me the entire parade suddenly shot up around me. I heard the screams from everyone in the crowd. I would have screamed too, had the fire not gone down down as quickly as it went up. I heard the cheering that was now louder than it had been before. Peeta was laughing and smiling at me and I could hear Caesar laughing at me over the intercom.

Looking up, desperate to know that I wasn't now naked and dusted in coal powder, I caught sight of myself in one of the cameras. I definitely wasn't naked. The flames had acted like a curtain while my outfit had somehow changed. I didn't have a clue in the world as to how Cinna had managed to make this work. Now I was wearing a tight black leather vest that had a red flame pattern in the middle. The leather clung to me like a second skin but it actually looked amazing. It cut low on my chest but managed to hide everything vital. I knew that it was to draw attention to me even more.

The vest also stopped at my mid-stomach, showing off the small muscles that I had there. It was to show that I was strong. The pants were made out of the same material and were in the same color. They were tight too, clinging to my legs, showing off their muscles too. I smirked at the outfit and looked up at the screen. My arms were decorated in intricate swirls that were glowing a bright sparkling red. I tightened my grip on Peeta's hand and let out a deep breath that I had been holding in. Finally we came back into the tunnel where our Mentors, Stylists, Prep Teams, and Escorts were all waiting happily.

Now I noticed that Peeta and I were a matching pair. They obviously wanted us to be a team. As the chariot stopped I smiled and motioned to Peeta to get off the chariot first. He jumped down and was immediately taken into the arms of Effie. Haymitch walked over to the chariot with Cinna and the pair helped me down. I smiled and gave Cinna a tight hug. Even Haymitch was smiling at me. So were the Prep Team that had been complaining about me only hours before. Effie pulled me into the circle where everyone was standing and grabbed both Peeta and me, pulling us into her side.

"That was amazing," Cinna said, making me smile.

"All thanks to you," I said, trying to be friendly.

"Oh, we are anybody's going be talking about," Effie babbled.

Releasing us, I stumbled to the side as she began to talk with my Stylists. "So brave," Haymitch said teasingly.

"Are you sure you should be near a flame?" I asked him.

"Fake flame," Haymitch pointed out. "Are you sure you -?"

He stopped speaking and looked over my head. What was he looking at? I turned back and saw that Cato was staring at me. Not just an angry stare - although that was definitely there - but there was something else there. I was threatening to empty my stomachs contents at any second. As I turned to look at the rest of the Tributes, I felt my knees go slightly weak. They were all glaring at me. Either with envy or fury. All except Rue. I looked at the young girl, who was smiling at me, and I smiled back at her.

Obviously we had done exactly what I'd thought and what Cinna had been banking on. We had literally outshone the rest of the competition and managed to put two targets on our backs. Looking back at Cato, I saw that there was some unfamiliar emotion in his eyes, and it was that look that nearly made me run. I realized what it was. It was hunger. For me or my death, I didn't know. I was more than a little shocked when Cato started walking towards me. I was going to throw up. He and Clove were going to meet up with their Stylists, who were standing behind us.

Haymitch had spotted the issue too. "Let's uh... let's go upstairs," Haymitch told everyone.

Everyone nodded at him. No one else had noticed the problem that Haymitch and I had. But slowly their gazes started turning back to see that Cato was staring straight at me. Even with all of their gazes on him, he still didn't dare look away. Effie motioned us with her as the Prep Teams and Stylists stalked off, giving us their last well-wishes. I would see them soon enough. We were heading down the hallway towards what I assumed was the staircase.

But I was trailing in back of the others and I really shouldn't have been. Cato stalked straight up to me, as confident as he had been this morning. "Watch it, Twelve. The brightest flames burn out the fastest," Cato warned. My heart was pounding. "That said, you should wear flames more often."

For a moment I just stared at him. I was searching all throughout my head for a response that was appropriate but I couldn't. There were people standing all around us and a number of them had turned back to see what was happening. District 12 and District 2 never spoke with each other. It was unheard of. We were too different. My mind went back to his comment. Was that an actual compliment that he had just given me? Or was he just trying to get into my head? I couldn't think for the life of me. I had absolutely no idea.

Was he really attracted to me, just the way that I was to him, or was this all part of the game? There was a mix of bubbly warmth from the quasi-compliment and the feel of bile that threatened me to spill my lunch with Cinna all over the cement floor. Haymitch turned back and caught onto the fact that I was incredibly uncomfortable, as Cato was still standing close. Haymitch grabbed my back and pulled me with him. Even without looking back I felt Cato's eyes boring into the back of my head. I had caught his attention, and not in a good way. Not good at all.


	5. Chapter Five

Our large group walked up the hallway towards the elevator. "So each of the Districts got their own floor and because you're from 12, you get the penthouse," Effie said, excitement clear in her voice.

The elevator was at the end of the hallway. I was glad that no one else was there. Cramming into the elevator with Effie, Haymitch, Peeta, both of our Prep Teams, the Head Stylists, and me, I was just about more prepared for a fight with Cato than I was to be trapped in a claustrophobic elevator. We spent the thirty second ride listening to Effie run her mouth. Breathing a sigh of relief as we hit the landing for the twelfth floor, I was shaking with giddiness to get the hell out of this elevator. Although I did like the ride. As the elevator dinged both Peeta and I exchanged looks of gratitude as we filed out of the elevator.

Before today I'd only ridden in an elevator once in my life. The first time had been yesterday to say my final goodbyes to my friends and family. Was it really only yesterday? IT felt like it had been a year ago. But that elevator was a dark and creaky thing that moved like a snail and smelled of sour milk. The walls of this elevator were made of crystal so that you could watch the people on the ground floor shrink to ants as you shot up into the air. It was an exhilarating ride and I was halfway tempted to ask Effie if we could ride it again, but somehow that seemed childish.

Apparently, Effie's duties did not conclude at the station. I'd been thinking that she would leave us alone. She and Haymitch would be overseeing us right into the arena. In a way, that was a plus because at least she could be counted on to corral us around to places on time whereas Haymitch would probably frequently be passed out somewhere. Even now he seemed like he was itching to get a drink. Effie, on the other hand, seemed to be flying high. We were apparently the first team that she'd ever chaperoned that had made a splash at the opening ceremonies.

"Come on," Effie called to Peeta and me, ushering us out of the elevator and into the room.

Haymitch immediately walked off. I jumped at the sound of her voice. I'd forgotten that we weren't alone. I was shocked at how huge the room was. It was covered in art on all of the walls and the entire back wall was glass windows that looked down on the Capitol. There was also a dining room table that was on a raised platform with strange green chairs surrounding it. Everything was a different color and it all hurt my eyes. I would never be able to get used to this place.

"So this is the living room. I know! I know!" Effie called.

She was mistaking my shock for excitement. She continued to speak as I looked around the room. How could one place have so much money to be wasted? How could they not think to send some of the excess money back to the poorer Districts? In the meantime, Effie was being complimentary about not just our costumes but how we conducted ourselves. Apparently we were better behaved than any of the other Tributes she'd ever seen before. And, to hear her tell it, Effie knew everyone who's anyone in the Capitol and had been talking us up all day, trying to win us Sponsors.

"I've been very mysterious, though. Because, of course, Haymitch hasn't bothered to tell me your strategies. But I've done my best with what I had to work with. How Aspen sacrificed herself for her best friend and sister. How you've both successfully struggled to overcome the barbarism of your District," Effie said, her eyes squinted half-shut.

Both Peeta and I exchanged another look with each other. The shock was evident in our eyes. There were certain things that the Capitol people said that floored me. Far more than just their normal irritating comments and thoughts. Barbarism? That was ironic coming from a woman helping to prepare us for slaughter. I knew that Peeta was thinking the same thing that I was. And what exactly was she basing our success on? Our table manners? They must have thought of us as animals.

"Is that the tactic you normally use?" I asked.

Effie looked surprised. "Well… To those of you that have the manners," she explained.

"That's worked well."

My comment didn't go over well. Peeta smiled but Effie glared at me. "Everyone has their reservations, naturally. You being from the coal District. But I said, and this was very clever of me, I said, 'Well, if you put enough pressure on coal it turns to pearls!'" Effie cheered.

Effie beamed at us so brilliantly that we had no choice but to respond enthusiastically to her cleverness even though it was wrong. Peeta and I exchanged a stupefied look once she had turned away. Coal didn't turn to pearls. They grew in shellfish. Possibly she meant coal turns to diamonds, but that's untrue, too. I'd heard they have some sort of machine in District 1 that could turn graphite into diamonds. But we didn't mine graphite in District 12. That was part of what District 13 did until they were destroyed. I wondered if the people she had been plugging us to all day either knew or cared.

"Unfortunately, I can't seal the Sponsor deals for you. Only Haymitch can do that. But don't worry, I'll get him to the table at gunpoint if necessary," Effie said.

Her words almost surprised me. Obviously there was no lost love in between Effie and Haymitch. Not that I was surprised. The two of them were such different people. They would have always hated each other. I wondered if Effie might have been around when Haymitch was in the Games. I couldn't peg how old she was. And although she was lacking in many departments, Effie had a certain determination I had to admire, particularly where it came to Haymitch Abernathy.

"Now, your rooms are right over here," Effie said, pointing down the hallway to our left. "Why don't you go clean yourselves up a little before dinner?"

Without even hesitating, I made my way down the hallway and marched into the room that had the female plaque on the door. Peeta did the same with the room across from mine. I was relieved that he didn't say anything to me. Not bothering to take care with the costume, knowing that I would be the only person to ever wear it, I peeled the clothing off quickly and ran into the bathroom. Staring at myself I smiled when I saw that I looked like I did when the Parade had started. That was good. I knew that I must have looked great. Cinna made sure of that.

Pulling the pins and jewels out of my hair I shook out my newly colored hair and flipped it, trying to get the rest of the kinks out. Walking over to the shower I noticed that it was designed the same way that the one on the Capitol train had been. At least I wouldn't look like a fool again. Knowing how to operate the shower this time I was quickly able to wash my hair and body clear of whatever paint it had been that Cinna had used on me. Before turning off the water, I used some of the soap that was labeled 'face' on the dial against the wall to wash the heavy makeup off.

Once the water that was running off of my face finally began to run clear, I stepped out of the shower and turned the water off. It felt like I was about ten pounds lighter without all of the makeup and hair products all over me. The air in the building was cold so I quickly tried to dry off. Stepping onto the drying plate that was on the outside of my shower stall, I stood still for about five minutes before my hair and body was completely dry. Unfortunately my hair was badly knotted. I never curled it.

Instead of struggling with the knots in my wet hair, I merely place my hand on a box that sent a current through my scalp, untangling, parting, and drying my hair almost instantly. I had been a little bit afraid that it would electrocute me. Thankfully it didn't. It actually made my hair look nicer than it ever had. It floated down around my shoulders in a glossy curtain. Even I had to admit that it was pretty cool. Although I was still angry that they had this much extravagance and the Districts were starving to death every day.

Grabbing the soft robe that was hanging on the wall, I wrapped it around myself before walking back into the bedroom. It was almost identical to the one that was on the train. The only difference was that it was bigger and the back wall was a window wall that looked over the Capitol. As much as I hated the Capitol, I had to admit that the view was incredible. The Tribute Remake Center was the tallest building in the Capitol so we had a perfect view of all of the other buildings and the parades that were going on down in the street. The ones that were cheering on the deaths of innocent children.

Shaking my head at their excitement, I walked over to the wardrobe and quickly pulled out a bra and pair of underwear, slipping them on. Finding something to wear would be the real problem. Digging through the top drawer, I figured that it was no use putting on normal clothes. It was too late and I had been uncomfortable all day. The closet here in the Capitol had something even more impressive than the one back on the train. It was something that I had thought was only in the Capitol television shows.

There was a whole pad that had a program where I could choose what I wanted to wear. I used it to program the closet for an outfit to my taste. It ended up picking out a blue shirt and a pair of black shorts. It wasn't colorful or sparkly so it was fine by me. The windows zoomed in and out on parts of the city at my command. You needed to only whisper a type of food from a gigantic menu into a mouthpiece and it would appear, hot and steamy, before you in less than a minute. I walked around the room eating goose liver and puffy bread until there was a knock on the door. Effie was calling me to dinner.

Despite having eaten more today than I normally did in a week, I found myself starving again. I couldn't believe how the people in the Capitol didn't weigh hundreds of pounds with everything that they ate. I also found myself a little annoyingly jealous. The whole Capitol was incredible, as much as I really don't want to admit it to myself. I walked over to the mirror and nodded at myself. My face was slightly pink from all of the scrubbing and my hair had dulled slightly from the bright red, but other than that I looked just fine to present myself at dinner.

Deciding that I looked fine as long as I wouldn't be seeing anyone else, I walked out into the dining room and sat down at the table next to Peeta. He was dressed similarly to me. He was wearing a dark green V-neck and a pair of loose blue cloth pants. Sitting down at the table, I slowly started to eat my meal in silence. Everyone was focused on the television as they were too enamored with it to even talk. Even Effie was being silent. Caesar was going over the Tribute entrances in the Parade and just like Effie had predicted, we were the center of attention.

All that the Capitol seemed to be talking about was our entrance in the Tribute Parade. More specifically, me. Peeta had looked amazing in his own costume but I had been the real show stopper at the Parade. Between the fire curtain and changing outfits I knew that I would be talked about all night. Blushing at the compliments that Caesar was giving me, I looked away from the television. Swallowing a piece of chicken I looked over at Peeta. He was wearing a sad look on his face. Feeling bad that I had still stolen the show, I leaned over to him and put my hand on his knee. He looked over at me and smiled.

A silent young man dressed in a white tunic offered us all stemmed glasses of wine a little while into the meal. I knew that this would only be the first of many courses. I took a long time to think about turning it down, but I'd never had wine. It was far too expensive from the Hob and none of the vendors could afford giving a free sample. The only thing I'd tried was the homemade stuff Ms. Everdeen used for coughs, and when would I get a chance to try it again? Certainly not when I was dead. So I took a sip of the tart, dry liquid and secretly thought about how it could have been improved by a few spoonfuls of honey.

Haymitch finally reappeared just as the real dinner was being served. It looked as if he'd had his own Stylist because he was clean and groomed and about as sober as I'd ever seen him. He actually looked rather handsome once he had managed to clean himself up. I knew that he would only remain that way for a little while. He didn't refuse the offer of wine, but when he started in on his soup, I realized that it was the first time I'd ever seen him eat. Maybe he really would pull himself together long enough to help us.

Cinna and Portia seemed to have a civilizing effect on Haymitch and Effie. At least they were addressing each other decently. And they both had nothing but praise for our Stylists' opening act. While they made small talk, I concentrated on the meal. Mushroom soup, bitter greens with tomatoes the size of peas, rare roast beef sliced as thin as paper, noodles in a green sauce, cheese that melted on your tongue served with sweet blue grapes. The servers, all young people dressed in white tunics like the one who gave us wine, moved wordlessly to and from the table, keeping the platters and glasses full.

About halfway through my glass of wine, my head started feeling foggy, so I changed to water instead. Maybe it was because I'd never had the drink before or just because I was susceptible to it. I noticed that Peeta pretty quickly changed to water too. I didn't like the feeling of fogginess and I hoped that it would wear off soon. How could Haymitch stand walking around like this full-time? It would always be a mystery to me. I tried to focus on the chatter around the table, which had turned to our eventual Interview costumes.

That wasn't something that I wanted to think about yet so I tuned out. I had to make it through three days of training before I got there. We ate the cake that was laid out for dessert and moved into a sitting room to watch another of the replays of the opening ceremonies that was being broadcast. They would be broadcast until they knew little bits about our training days. A few of the other couples made a nice impression, including Cato and Clove, but none of them could hold a candle to us. Even our own party let out a gasp of surprise when they showed us coming out of the Remake Center.

"Whose idea was the hand-holding?" Haymitch asked.

"Peeta's," I said.

Haymitch looked impressed. "Just the perfect touch of rebellion. Very nice," Haymitch said.

Rebellion? Peeta and I exchanged a bewildered look, which I found that we had begun doing rather frequently. I had to think about that one for a moment. But when I remembered the other couples, standing stiffly apart, never touching or acknowledging each other, as if their fellow Tribute did not exist, as if the Games had already begun, I knew what Haymitch means. Presenting ourselves not as adversaries but as friends had distinguished us as much as the fiery costumes. After all, even Clove and Cato and Glimmer and Marvel had seemed tense with each other.

"Tomorrow morning is the first training session. Meet me for breakfast and I'll tell you exactly how I want you to play it. Now go get some sleep while the grown-ups talk," Haymitch told us.

"Goodnight," I said.

There were a few dismissals called back to us as Peeta repeated my words. Peeta and I walked over towards our bedrooms. I knew that it was time for the two of us to go to bed anyways. It was getting late. It would have been time for bed back in District 12 long ago. Here the night was just starting. I couldn't imagine how they ran on such little sleep. Or maybe they woke up close to noontime. I couldn't tell. I just knew that it had been a long day for me today and it would be an even longer one tomorrow.

"Goodnight, Aspen," Peeta said, as we walked over towards our rooms.

"Night, Peeta."

Walking inside the room, I sank into the soft bed I let my thoughts wander back to District 12. I wondered what everyone was thinking about me. If anyone thought that I had an actual chance to win. I was sure that Prim had been gushing about how pretty I was and Katniss had probably been babbling about how it was only the Capitol's way of making me feel special before they sent me out to be slaughtered. Gale was probably sitting in brooding silence and looking me over. I had no idea what he was thinking or saying. He would probably be saying nothing. They were only hoping that I would be coming back.

Sighing, I sank back into the sheets. None of those thoughts were good for me right now. As much as I wished that I was back home I couldn't bear to think about it. It would only make me sad and being sad would make me weaker. Right now I had to be strong. I had to be able to push aside my thoughts of home. The only thought that I could afford right now were thoughts about what I would say to my friends when I got back home. Drifting off into a fitful sleep the only thing floating through my mind was a beautiful voice, blonde hair, and blue eyes. And a silver blade kissing my throat.

My nightmares kept me awake all night. But I still managed to jump at the sound of Effie's offensive voice first thing in the morning. She had a habit of startling me with the volume and pitch of her voice. As much as I would have loved to sit here all day, I rolled over in the bed and brought the pillow up to cover my ears. Just a few more minutes before I would wake up. Effie stormed into my room and ran over to my bedside. She pulled the pillow off of me. Groaning at the early hour, Effie ignored me and poked me on my side.

"Get up, Aspen!"

"Just a minute," I groaned.

"You're late! The both of you. You'll be late to training. Get ready!"

"What time is it?"

"Almost eight. Your clothes are in the bathroom. Get a quick bite to eat and then I'll bring you to the Training Room."

"Okay."

"Now what am I forgetting? Oh! Peeta!" Effie gasped, running out of my room.

That was a nice way to wake me up first thing in the morning. I rolled my eyes at Effie and flipped out of the bed. Leave it to my incompetent Escort to make us late for the first day of training. Grabbing my brush from the side table, I ran it through my hair quickly and walked into the bathroom. The first thing I saw was the training outfit that Effie had been talking about. It was laid out on the counter. It was rather plain - which for some reason I hadn't been expecting. The shirt was black and tight-fitting with maroon and grey striped sleeves, where the number twelve was stitched on.

Turning the shirt over I saw that twelve was stitched into the back too. The pants were made of the same material. They would cling to my legs. They were black with a grey stripe down the side. Pulling my blue t-shirt and black shorts off, I slipped on the training outfit and looked in the mirror. I didn't actually look too bad. Grabbing a hair tie that was sitting on the counter, I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail and walked out of the bathroom. Slipping on the boots that had been left for me at the edge of the bed, I realized that my costume was no longer there. Someone must have moved it in the middle of the night.

Standing up from my bed, I walked into the living room and gave Peeta, who was already there, a friendly smile. He looked nervous but he responded to it anyways. Taking my spot at the table, I was surprised when even Haymitch greeted me. Looking up at him in shock, I wished him a quick good morning before grabbing a small plate of eggs and an apple. It wasn't a huge breakfast, but I didn't want one. I couldn't get used to eating all of this food. Not for when I got into the arena and had to go back to having barely enough food to keep me alive.

The television was on but I ignored it. Mostly it was just talking about what they thought would be in the training room. Cameras and television crews weren't allowed to watch the Tributes train but they always had people watching. Any time there was an impressive Tribute or some type of altercation, people knew about it. They just didn't see it. No one saw what the Tributes were capable of until the first day of the Games. I swallowed harshly when I realized that in just about four or five days I would be inside of the arena, fighting for my life. I had to make wise use of the short time that I had here.

"Listen up, the both of you," Haymitch said. I glanced over at Haymitch and raised an eyebrow. I hadn't been expecting any advice. As much as he infuriated me, he had won these Games once. He knew what to do. "When you're in training you do not show anyone your strengths."

"But -"

"You want me to help you, you listen to me," Haymitch interrupted me.

"So what do we do?" I asked.

"Learn a few new tricks. Learn to throw a spear or fight with a sword. Get used to tying knots and making a fire. Learn something that you don't know, don't practice what you already do. Keep any strengths that you may have to yourself for private training."

We both nodded. "What about hand-to-hand?" Peeta asked.

"Give it a try but don't give them a real show. Just prove you can handle yourself," Haymitch advised. "Would you like to be trained together or separately?"

"Why would we want to be trained separately?" I asked.

"In case you have any skills you might want to keep secret for the arena," Haymitch said.

Peeta and I exchanged a look. "You know that I'm strong. I know that you have good aim," he said.

He was right about that. We both knew what the other was good at and there was no point in making the air even more awkward than it already was. "We'll be trained together," I said.

Haymitch nodded. I assumed that we had just made his job easier. "Keep near each other at all times." Neither one of us looked thrilled but we both nodded. "Keep to the survival skills. Trust me, they're more important. Oh, and Aspen," Haymitch added, surprising me.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Stay away from Cato. Nothing good is waiting for you there," Haymitch said.

I blushed slightly but nodded at him. "No problem," I said.

Gulping down the last of my eggs, I jumped as Effie's hand laid itself on my shoulder and I looked at her. "If you two are done, it's time to go. Training is about to start! We'll be late!" Effie squealed.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my chair and pushed myself out. As much as I would have loved to stay and eat some more, I knew that we really did have to leave. The last thing that I wanted to do was be late for the first day of training. We'd already made enough of an impact. I wanted to lay low for the next few days. So I got up and stood next to Effie. Copying me, Peeta stood up as too and Effie smiled. I wondered if she was excited to see us go into the arena or if she would get attached.

"Wonderful! Let's go."

I looked back at Haymitch as we walked, wondering why he wasn't coming with us. "Haymitch isn't coming?" I asked.

"Oh, dear, no one comes to the training. It is the Tributes and trainers only. The Gamemakers will be watching, so play it up!" Effie told us.

That didn't sound like the right thing to do. Not compared to the advice that Haymitch had given us, and he was the one that had won the Games. I rolled my eyes and chose to ignore her and listen to what Haymitch had told us. Exiting the elevator, Effie pointed us down a hallway and told us that she'd see us for dinner. I was already looking forward to having dinner. I could tell that I would gain a pound or two before going into the arena, which would help during the days of starvation. I looked at Peeta and shrugged at him. The two of us took off down the hall, matching each other's strides.

Coming up on a big set of double doors, I assumed that this was the training room. Peeta pushed the door open and walked inside, holding the door for me. I walked in after him and saw that Effie was right. We were late. All of the other Tributes were already here and standing on circles that designated where they should be standing. I noticed that the circle next to Rue and another circle next to Cato was empty. I prayed that the circle next to Rue was mine, but naturally it was designated for the District 12 male. I began to walk over to the circles when the door slammed behind us.

That definitely wasn't something that I had wanted to happen. It made my heart drop down into my stomach. Why did things like that always have to happen to me? Why couldn't Effie have had better time management skills? I'd even been thinking that she would be better than Haymitch. I could have died right there as every Tribute's head whipped toward us. Peeta immediately brightened and walked over to his circle, giving Rue a small smile as he took his spot. I knew that I must look like a startled deer standing where I was so I shook my head and walked over to my circle.

The snort from next to me made me look up and I immediately wished I hadn't. I'd never stood next to Cato on even ground, or seen him in normal clothes, so he really shocked me. His face mostly looked the same but I saw that his training outfit hugged every muscle on him, while mine hugged my curves. Curves that I knew his eyes were traveling over now. It made me want to cross my arms over my chest. I looked up at him and nearly died at how much bigger than me he actually was. I only came up to his chest, and that was just barely.

A cough from the Head Trainer, Atala, she'd said, gave Peeta and I pointed looks. "Now that everyone has cared to join us, I suppose I can get started. In two weeks twenty-three of you will be dead. One of you will be alive. Who that is depends on how well you pay attention over the next four days. Particularly to what I'm about to say. First, no fighting with the other Tributes. You'll have plenty of time for that in the arena." She gave a small laugh and the Careers smirked. "There are four compulsory exercises, the rest will be individual training. My advice is, don't ignore the survival skills. Everybody wants to grab a sword but most of you will die from natural causes. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife."

Her advice was all similar to the type that Haymitch had given me. I didn't love Atala, as she seemed rather cruel, but I knew that it would be best to listen to her. She was the person that spoke directly with the Gamemakers for advice. So I nodded at her. Hopefully she wouldn't be around to criticize us. She didn't seem to like me much. When Atala began to read down the list of the skill stations, my eyes couldn't help but to flit around to the other Tributes, now that none of them could look at me. It was the first time that we have been assembled, on level ground, in simple clothes.

My heart sank. Almost all of the boys and at least half of the girls were bigger than I was, even though many of the Tributes had never been fed properly. You could see it in their bones, their skin, and the hollow look in their eyes. I might have been smaller naturally, but overall my family's resourcefulness had actually given me an edge in that area. I stood straight to look a little bigger. While I was thin, I was also strong. The meat and plants from the woods combined with the exertion it took to get them had given me a healthier body than most of those I saw around me.

The exceptions were the kids from the wealthier Districts, the volunteers, the ones who had been fed and trained throughout their lives for this moment. The Tributes from 1, 2, and 4 traditionally had this look about them. Marvel was thin but lean. Glimmer had the curves to be attractive and muscles to be strong with a weapon. Clove was small but strong. Cato was huge and towering. They would all have strengths in the arena that would be almost impossible to outmaneuver. And like as not, the winner would be one of them.

The slight advantage I held coming into the Training Center, my fiery entrance last night, seemed to vanish in the presence of my competition. The other Tributes were jealous of us, but not because we were amazing, because our Stylists were. Now I saw nothing but contempt in the glances of the Career Tributes. Particularly Cato. Each must have had at least fifty to a hundred pounds on me. They projected arrogance and brutality. When Atala released us, they headed straight for the deadliest-looking weapons in the gym and handled them with ease.

Everyone else took a little longer to move. With her casual dismissal, all of the Tributes slowly moved off to train. I grunted as Cato slammed into me as he walked past. Had I not been standing with my legs in a triangle shape with my hips I would have fallen straight on my ass. Turning back to him, I had to resist going over to the knife station and chucking one at his fat head. But I would have to listen to Haymitch and behave myself. Peeta walked over and looked at me with concern, but I brushed him off. I was fine. Cato had just startled me a little bit.

"Where do we go first?" Peeta asked.

Glancing around the room, it seemed like they had everything. The infamous Tribute station, The Gauntlet sat in the corner, back wall of the room. We would be doing that tomorrow so I figured I'd wait. There was no point in making a fool out of myself prematurely. The bow and arrow station was next to it and I had to resist heading straight there. I could use some practice. I was good but I needed to learn how to use their bows. Glimmer was currently there making a fool out of herself. She wasn't terrible, but she couldn't hit any of the vital marks. Most of hers were going into the arms of the targets.

There was another girl there as well, from District 3 I was pretty sure, and she was just as terrible. The trainer was helping her but that didn't seem to be doing any good. The knife throwing station was next to it, and just as I had expected, Clove was there. She was dominating the station and glaring at anyone who got too close to her. There were a few other Tributes there, but none were even close to her. Two of the boys there weren't doing too badly but they were working with the still targets. Shaking my head before I got too tempted, I looked over at the next station. Sword fighting.

Naturally Cato was there, fighting against the trainer. And he was winning. Not even by a little, by a lot. They were using padded bats that were designed to replicate swords so that no one was actually injured before the Games. The trainer didn't look upset at his loss. He just congratulated Cato. To my shock, there was a long line at the station. There were probably about a third of the Tributes that were there. Glancing away as I saw how powerful Cato's swings were, I saw that the spear throwing station was next. Both Marvel and Coral - the District 4 female - were there. It wasn't surprising.

Marvel was incredible. Every spear he threw sailed into the dummy. Coral wasn't bad either, but not nearly as good as Marvel. Most of her spears hit the dummy, but I wasn't sure if she could kill someone with it. Some part of me thought that she would be better with the bow and arrows. Not that I would tell her that. Both of the District 7 Tributes were at the axe station. I wasn't surprised. Their District was lumber and they knew how to use axes. Both looked pretty good with the weapons; actually they looked pretty lethal. Mentally I jotted down a note to stay away from the two of them.

Looking to the other end of the training room, I noticed that there was a platform set up for hand-to-hand combat. Blinking at the girl that was standing up on the platform I saw that she was from District 9. I was grateful for the numbers on our uniforms. She wasn't doing too badly. She was at least holding her own. But the trainer still had her beat. Thresh was also in line and I made a mental note to be sure to watch him. Turning to the other side of the room I saw the box where the Gamemakers were sitting, watching the Tributes.

Seneca Crane was in the middle, in a chair that looked like it should be more of a throne. Shaking my head at him, I looked away. They were directly above the fire-making station. Unsurprisingly, no Tributes were there. Next to it was the berries and plants station. We used it to find out which were edible and which were poisonous. Finch was at one of the game stations and I was shocked when I watched her. The screen above her showed how fast she was going. In under a minute she had properly identified all fifty plants and berries. The next station over was shelter. No one was there. One more over was camouflage and it was also empty.

The last of the stations was the climbing station. Rue was there. She was like a monkey. Crawling up and down the trees faster than anything I'd ever seen. She launched herself over the nets too, having no problem with them. There were a few other Tributes there too, and some were good, but none of them were as good as Rue. I smiled at her, knowing that she at least had the advantage there. The only other station there was wasn't really a station at all. It was a running track along the back wall. In the weapons section there was a mesh over the track that would protect runners from any free flying weapons.

Turning to Peeta, I shrugged my shoulders at him. We had been standing here for too long. We needed to do something. We looked like fools. "I'm going to go for a run. I'll meet you at one of the survival stations in a little bit, okay?" I asked.

"Okay."

If we had to be together all day I just wanted some time to be by myself. Peeta nodded and went to the fire-making station. I smiled at him and walked to the start of the running track. There was a trainer that asked if I wanted any help and I politely declined. Waiting for the trainer's go, I figured I'd do four laps on the track. One mile. As the trainer yelled his start I took off down the track. I had very few doubts that I was the fastest runner. Tearing past the survival stations I saw Peeta smile at me, despite the fact that his fire was only smoke. Pushing myself, I ran past the climbing station and gave Rue a quick smile.

As I ran through the track I glanced around. The last thing that I wanted to think about was how Cato's swings could take off my head in one swoop. In the meantime I saw that the Gamemakers were starting to become a little more active. Sometimes they were wandering about to watch us, jotting down notes, and other times they were eating at the endless banquet that had been set for them, ignoring the lot of us. But they did seem to be keeping their eye on the District 12 tributes. It made me sick. Several times I looked up to find one fixated on me. More often than not, Seneca Crane, Head Gamemaker.

Rounding the first of the corners, I passed the Gauntlet and gulped as I started into the mesh section. I knew that I was headed through the weapons. Passing the bow and arrow station, I saw that Glimmer seemed to still be struggling with the whole hitting the target thing. Laughing at her, I sped up again and passed the knife station. Most of the knives that were missing hit the floor long before they got all the way out to the mesh but a few did hit it. I was glad to see that the mesh was impenetrable.

Passing through into the sword station I was surprised to see that Cato was no longer there. I couldn't help but wonder where he had gone. Moving through the spear station, I saw that Marvel was still doing excellent and Coral was doing better. As I came up on the end of the station, a spear flying full force hit the mesh. For a second I was sure that it was my time to die. But the mesh was stronger than that and the spear bounced off. Although the mesh did have a small dent in it from the impact. I looked up and saw that it was Cato who had thrown the spear and he was now laughing.

My heart was pounding in my chest. I'd been so panicked that he was about to kill me well before I was even supposed to be in the arena. Furious about what had just happened, I picked up the pace and tore across the rest of my lap. It would be the last one that I would run. I was going to do something else that showed that I could do more than run. Using any remaining anger that I had at him, I pushed myself as hard as I could. Finishing the last half of my last lap, I sprinted faster than I ever had before I came to a stop by my trainer. Breathing heavily, I stared at him, who was smiling at me.

"Your mile time was five minutes and twenty-three seconds," he said. I smiled. The time sounded good and he looked happy. "That's the best time that I've ever seen. Way better than any Careers that have ever been. Especially cocky assholes from District 2."

His words made me laugh. Maybe he liked the underdogs. "Thank you," I said.

Walking over to the water station, as I had sweat out all of the water that I'd taken in this morning, I grabbed a cup and was about to pour myself some water when I was shoved out of the way. The sudden impact startled me. It wasn't a hard shove but I was tired and my legs were jelly after the run. I tried to catch myself but it was no use. My feet slipped out from under me and I hit the ground. Grunting at the impact, a low laugh nearly made me explode. I didn't need to look at him to know who it was.

"Sorry about that, Twelve, you were taking too long," Cato said.

"Right. Five seconds is far too long," I growled, pushing myself back to my feet.

"Oh, and I'm sorry about that spear too. I missed," Cato hissed.

Looking over at him, I knew that he didn't mean that he had missed the target. He meant that he had missed me. Shaking my head at him, I gathered myself back together and grabbed some water. He wasn't going to chase me off that easily. Downing it quickly, I walked away from the water area. But it wasn't before Cato could catch up to me. He wasn't going to let it go that easily. Right before I could get to the berries and plant station where Peeta was, Cato grabbed my arm in a vice grip.

"It's a good thing that you were on that track, princess," he said. I had to fight myself to not let him see that he was hurting me.

"Why's that?" I asked.

He moved close to my ear and I felt his hot breath fanning over my face. "You'll need to run. From me. Because if I catch you, I will keep you until I get bored of you. I need something to occupy me, right?" he asked.

As he released his grip on me, he twisted harshly against the skin. There was a bright red mark on my arm from the sudden feeling. I nearly let out a squeak of pain. He knew that he was hurting me but I refused to show him that he was. I would never tell him that he affected me. Deep in his eyes I saw something like appreciation. For my pain tolerance? I couldn't tell. Whatever. As I wrenched myself from his grip, I moved back from him and gently gripped my arm.

"Of course, children need something to occupy their feeble little minds," I snarled.

Immediately I wished that I could have taken it back, but I knew that it was too late. He was going to kill me. I was actually going to die well before we even made it into the arena. Damn me. Cato walked towards me, fury evident in his eyes. One of his hands was out and I had to prepare myself for the painful death that I was sure was about to come. At least I wouldn't die in the damn arena. Just as Cato was within a foot's step away from me, a Peacekeeper grabbed his shoulder.

"Is everything okay here?" the man asked.

I stared at Cato in shock. For once, the Capitol had been helpful. I didn't know what to say, nothing was really okay. "We're fine," I muttered.

The Peacekeeper nodded and walked away. I noticed that some of them kept their eyes on Cato to ensure that he wouldn't come back over and try to kill me. The Gamemakers were now really keeping their eyes on me. I tried to pretend that I was okay, but I wasn't. I was here and I should be home. For some reason a psychopathic Tribute had decided that I was the one he wanted to save for last in the arena. And I probably looked like a weak fool to everyone in the Capitol and at home. Every pair of eyes in the room were deadlocked on me and I wished that a boulder could have dropped and crushed me.

Finally Cato looked away from me, with one last glare. Shakily breathing out, I walked away from the water station and over to the berries and plant station. Grabbing the edge of one of the station tabletops, I breathed in and out slowly for a while, trying to steady myself, but it was no use. I was seriously shaken from that encounter. He was going to kill me the second that the counter hit zero. A hand landed on my shoulder and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Turning back, I saw that it was only Peeta.

"Are you okay?" Peeta asked, looking very concerned.

I nodded at him and took a few more deep breaths. "Yeah, Peeta. Thanks. You can go back to the fire station, I'm okay. Just got a little nervous there," I told Peeta, with a nervous chuckle.

He nodded and walked away from me slowly. Glancing over at the rest of the training room I noticed that the Tributes and Gamemakers were all looking back and forth between Cato and me. Shaking my head, I knew that I looked pathetic and weak. And like I had one hell of a death wish. I had fallen on my ass only to get involved in a fight that I knew that I couldn't win. Shaking my head clear of the negative thoughts, I looked down at the glass panel in front of me. The poisonous plants and animals. Clicking the begin button I watched as plants and berries flew over the screen.

How the hell did Finch do this? They all looked exactly the same. Prim and Katniss were good with this stuff, but Gale and I were pathetic. Time after time I got the answers wrong until the last berry popped up. That one I knew. It was called Nightlock and was used in the Games most years. The berry was extremely toxic. Just a taste of the juice and you would be dead in seconds. Usually at least one Tribute a year died from eating it as they looked very similar to blueberries. Nightlock was just a darker blue. Clicking the 'poisonous' button, I frowned at my result. It was the only question that I'd gotten right.

Not in the mood to look like a failure anymore, I moved away from the station and walked over to the climbing station. That was something that I was confident that I could do. Standing in front of one of the net obstacles, I waited for the trainer to give me the all clear. I watched the boy in front of me give the net a go, but he lost his grip about halfway through the upside down portion of the net and fell into the water below. As the trainer told me that I could go, I gulped. That was the last thing that I needed today. Falling into the water. Taking the first part of the net in stride was easy. It was just a steep climb to the top.

But now that I was at the top, I had an issue. There was a small break in the net so that Tributes could climb under and do that part of the net upside down. Taking a deep breath, I sat on my knees at the top of the course and threw my hands out to the other side of the net. Thankfully I grabbed the net tightly and let my body fall from the top of the platform. Using my swing to my advantage I threw my legs up into one of the small square holds and caught myself. Slipping my feet and legs through the holes, I let go with my hands and twisted my body so that I was going at the course feet first.

Swinging my hands back up, I grabbed the net again and slipped my legs from the hold, keeping my feet in the net. The first part of the net was easy. The footholds were close together and the rope was thick. However, I got about halfway through the net and the holes between the footholds started to get bigger. About ten feet from the platform on the other side I realized that I was too short to reach the next foothold. What could I do? I ran all sorts of scenarios through my head but they all ended with me landing in the water. And it was a long drop. Not only that, but all eyes were on me. I had something to prove.

It didn't help that everyone could see that I was stuck. I was furious that now everyone was watching me. Cato and the rest of the Careers were bunched together. I could see that most of them were laughing at me. They probably wanted to see the Girl on Fire end up soaking wet. It would prove to be good justice for them, who thought that they should have been the only ones who were talked about last night. With no other idea, and my arms beginning to hurt from the strain, I made the decision to drop my legs from the net.

Gasping at the sudden added weight I shut my eyes. I had to make it through this. Swinging back and forth, I felt all of the strain going onto the arm that Cato had hurt earlier. I had to get off of this thing and fast. Thankfully swinging made my arms long enough to get through the rest of net quickly. With both hands on the same rope I grunted, trying to swing my legs up onto the platform. But it was useless. I had burned up too much of my energy and now I was stuck. Figuring that I only really had one good swing left, I threw my body as hard as I could and I felt my feet clip the platform.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep myself up and my feet fell from the platform. The downward momentum brought the rest of my body down too as I lost my grip on the rope. The fall was long but it felt like only a second before I hit the water hard. The impact stung everywhere and I was in more pain than I had been in a long time. Everywhere felt like pins and needles and I couldn't tell which way was up or down. After a few moments of thrashing around a hand caught the back of my shirt and pulled me out of the water.

Looking up, I saw that it was the trainer that was waiting if people fell into the pool. I could see that he was asking me if I was okay but I had no idea what to say. I merely nodded at him and took his hand to help me out of the pool. Peeta came running over to me but I shoved him away. I was too stunned to want anyone near me. Standing up I looked around the room and saw that the Tributes were either staring at me in shock or trying not to laugh. Except for the Careers. Marvel, Glimmer, Coral, and Clove were laughing like my failure was the funniest thing that they had ever seen.

All of the Careers were bent over with laughter except for Cato. He was standing by them but he wasn't laughing. Instead he was giving me a stare that chilled me to the bone. I didn't know what the stare was for. If nothing else, I would have expected him to think it was the funniest of all of them. But he was staring at me like he was mad at me for falling. Turning away I waved the trainers off and walked away from the climbing station. I didn't need to be in the center of attention anymore. Walking away from the center of the room I felt like I was about to cry but I knew that I had to stay calm.

As I walked away from the pool, I heard Atala yell, "Get back to work!"

In my despair, I wasn't making things any better on myself. I started to watch the other Tributes work at their stations. A trainer with a padded bat was swinging at Marvel, who was using a spear with a dulled tip to block the attacks. Cato was back to practicing his swings with his sword. Any one could easily slice a Tribute in half. Finch was still matching everything on the computers and still wasn't missing any of them. One younger boy was learning how to make a fire from one of the trainers. Another boy was using a padded bat to fight against a trainer. He was from District 9 and seemed to be holding his own.

I made another mental note to stay away from him. His swings were hard and actually measured pretty well. He was even managing to avoid most of the blows. I knew that tomorrow we would all have to do that station in the compulsory exercise. They were finishing up and I realized that the boy almost had the trainer beaten. Even Cato was watching out of the corner of his eyes. I was distracted from my thoughts as a Peacekeeper walked up to me. I was sitting against the wall behind the fire-making station and had been left in peace for about ten minutes.

"Miss Antaeus, we can't have you sitting here. We have another uniform for you if you'll follow me," the man said.

"Okay."

As much as I would have loved to sit here for the rest of the day, I nodded and followed him. The two of us walked out of the main area of the training room into a small side room - that appeared to be a medical room. The boy who had fallen in the water before me was here. I glanced down at the other uniform that was laid out and nodded at the Peacekeeper. Grabbing the uniform, I quickly slid out of my wet uniform and slipped on the dry one. Wringing my hair out, I nodded at the Peacekeeper and made my way back out into the training room.

Peeta was sitting by the knot tying station and he waved me over. At least that was something that I could do without making a complete idiot out of myself. Smiling sadly at him, I made my way over. He looked like he was about to say something to me but a loud bell rang before he got the chance. I jumped slightly and looked around. The Careers were making their way out of the training room through another side door but the rest of the Tributes were standing around staring off into space.

"Time for lunch," Peeta said.

That definitely wasn't the time of day that I had been looking forward to. I nodded and let him pull me to my feet. We both knew that Peeta and I were supposed to be talking to each other. It was part of Haymitch's orders from yesterday during dinner. We were supposed to remain friendly and present ourselves as a team to the Capitol. It meant that we would have to find something to talk about. It wouldn't be easy to find a topic. Talking of home was painful. Talking of the present was unbearable.

This was set to be the longest half an hour of my life. That would be until we got into the Games when time would slow to a complete drag. It would be long days of almost nothing to do. Walking over to the edge of the training room I pushed through the door and saw that almost all of the Tributes were sitting by themselves. It was almost depressing. I looked around and realized that there was a good chance that most of us had the potential to be friends if we were somewhere else.

The only Tributes that were sitting together were a few of the District pairs and the Careers. However the Careers were the only ones that were talking. The five sitting together were yelling back and forth and laughing far louder than was necessary. Clove was spinning her knife in her hand and Coral was splitting her meat into a million pieces. Marvel appeared to be making joke after joke and Glimmer was practically sitting in Cato's lap. Cato was the only Tribute who wasn't laughing. He wore a smirk but he was near silent. It was easy to see that he was about a minute away from pushing Glimmer off of his lap.

Laughing at his obvious discomfort for a moment, I walked over to the row of food that the Capitol had set out and grabbed a myself a plate. It wasn't as extravagant as the meals that they gave us in our common areas. Grabbing myself a helping of chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn, I filled up a glass of water and went to take a seat. Shaking my head at my luck, I saw that the only empty table was the one right next to the Careers. Taking a deep breath I walked over to the table and placed my food on the table top. Peeta sat himself across from me and immediately dug into his meal.

For a long time Peeta just talked to me about the bread that we were eating. Then it was my turn. "Did I ever tell you about the time I was chased by a bear?" I asked.

"No, but it sounds fascinating," Peeta said.

My comment was loud enough to draw some attention from the other Tributes and few Gamemakers that were walking by and listening to us. I tried to drop my voice and animate my face as I recalled the event, a true story, in which Katniss and I had foolishly challenged a black bear over the rights to a beehive. We had very nearly lost. Peeta laughed and asked questions right on cue. He was much better at this than I was. The whole time I knew that Cato was glaring at me. He - and the rest of the Tributes - didn't like that we were acting friendly and happy.

Finally we fell silent. It was becoming impossible to find things to talk about without making things awkward between the two of us. I knew that Haymitch wouldn't be happy with us for only being so friendly but we had already talked about the ways that he decorated the cakes - which made him sad - and the many meats that I could think of - which made me think about hunting, which made me sad. So I picked up my fork to continue eating, but dropped it as I overheard the Career's conversation.

"She's mine," Glimmer growled, from the table behind me.

Forcing myself to keep looking straight ahead of me, I silently asked Peeta if they were talking about me. He gave me a tiny nod. For nearly five minutes after, I heard the group fight back and forth over who would get to kill me, when, and how. I was quickly becoming terrified. Lunch was dragging on. I almost thought that the Gamemakers were purposely making it longer. I had thought that getting away from the training room would be a great break, but this was even worse. I would have rather been embarrassing myself during training.

The worst part was that all of the other little chatter throughout the room had stopped and now all eyes were on me. Tributes and Peacekeepers alike. Some looked amused, others frightened, and a few looked at me in pity. A loud thud sounded from the table behind me and I whipped back. Glimmer was on the floor and Cato was steaming. Glimmer stood up and looked at Cato in fury, but Cato matched her move for move. He stood up too and towered over her. She was tall but Cato still stood at least half of a foot over her. Glimmer stepped back in fear but it was too late.

Cato pulled her in by her collar and looked at her with nothing short of rage. "She. Is. Mine." Cato looked away from Glimmer and looked over to the table of the rest of the Careers. "That goes for all of you. None of you hurt her without asking me. The only person that will kill her, is me. Got it?" he asked his group.

They all nervously nodded at him, as well as Glimmer, who looked like she was about to piss herself. Even Clove looked like she was a little afraid of Cato, and I assumed that the two of them had grown up together. Or they must have trained together. Cato scoffed and released Glimmer, who stumbled a few steps back. Both Careers seated themselves and the room plunged back into silence. Pushing my food around on my plate, I refused to look back and see how many of the Tributes were still looking at me.

I had lost my appetite. I was pretty sure that anything else would make me throw up my tiny breakfast. After what felt like an eternity of awkward silence the bell rung again and all of the Tributes filed quickly out of the dining room. Walking out of the room, I dropped my tray into the pile of trash and shook my head. I should have eaten that. It was too late now. A gentle arm brushed by me and I looked up to move out of the way. To my surprise, it was Cato. I would have thought that he would have thrown me out of the way. He fell into step besides me and I immediately felt like I was going to light on fire from his gaze.

"Shouldn't you have eaten that, Twelve?" he asked.

"What do you care, Two?" I snapped back. He looked down at me and I glared at him. "You just want to kill me right? Why should it matter to you if I eat or not?"

He had come to a stop besides the knife station and for some reason, I did too. He shook his head at me and scoffed. "Why the hell do you think? I told you that I wanted you alive for the majority of the Games," he said.

"I don't plan on dying early on," I interrupted.

"I told you that I wanted it to be you and me in the Death Match. And when it comes to the end of that, I will kill you. Your life will end just the way that mommy and daddy's did."

I nearly strangled him, but the only self-restraint that I had left kept me in my place. "You're an ass," I sneered.

"Well spotted. Now move. You're in front of the knives."

Groaning at his horrible personality, I shoved past him but it worked against me. Cato stood in place and I tipped off kilter slightly. Just barely catching my balance, I walked past him and growled when I heard Cato laugh. He was determined to make me look like a fool. Walking angrily over to the climbing station again, I found myself determined to prove that I wasn't useless. Grabbing the base of the tree I made my way up quickly and settled into the top of the fake tree. A snap of a branch made me turn quickly and see that Thresh was beside me on the next branch over.

I nodded at him, knowing that he couldn't hurt me in here, and he nodded back. "Long day, Aspen?" Thresh asked.

If there was anyone that had surprised me more than Cato, it was Thresh. I hadn't pegged him for a Tribute that would talk to anyone at all. Not before the Games or during. The only Tribute that I had seen him speak to was Rue. He seemed to be protecting her and I could respect that. I had made a silent vow that I would protect her myself. And I didn't even know the little girl. Smiling slightly at the fact that I was the first Tribute he had spoken to besides Rue, I nodded at him.

"You could say that, Thresh. I guess I'm a little off of my game today," I told him softly.

Thresh nodded at me and I sighed. It was nice up here. I couldn't hear the Careers chatting with each other and I was out of the view of all of the other Tributes. "I assume you're normally better?" Thresh asked.

Was he trying to gain what I was good with? I couldn't tell. So I decided to be safe. "I couldn't be much worse," I said.

Thresh smiled. "You could have broken your ankle," he said.

That much was true. At least I hadn't seriously physically injured myself. I was hoping to keep it that way. Another snap of the fake branches sounded through the air and I turned to my other side. It was Rue. It was the closest that she had come to me since training had started. I was happy to see her. The very air of having her near me reminded me of Prim. Smiling at the little girl, I motioned her over to the both of us. She slowly climbed over the branch and perched herself on my branch at the other end.

"Hi, Rue. I'm Aspen," I told her.

She nodded and gave me a small smile. "I know who you are. You volunteered for your best friend's sister, it was really brave. I wish I was that brave," she said.

I smiled at the young girl but my heart was breaking inside. Prim had two people that had volunteered for her, but Rue had no one. She had even asked but no one had responded to her. "Thank you. I think you're pretty brave," I told her honestly.

"Thanks," she said, blushing softly.

The three of us settled into our branches with no one saying anything and no one looking like they were about ready to move. It must have been near an hour that we were all sitting there, doing nothing. It wasn't going to do anything for our scores but at least I wasn't making a fool out of myself anymore. Today had been a disaster and I was damn near tempted to kill Haymitch for telling us to hide what we were good at. The only thing that had done was make me look weak and stupid. I knew that it was helpful in most cases but maybe not mine.

The one thing that I was good at was knives. And the bow and arrow was something that I could definitely handle myself around. I needed to practice with them, not pretend to be completely clueless. Rolling my eyes at the fact that I was just griping at myself, I cleared my throat and caught the attention of both of the District 11 Tributes. Knowing that now may be my only chance to look good to these people and make an alliance, I cleared my throat again, steeling myself.

"Look, I know that you both don't know me very well. We can help each other in the arena. When things go too far we can separate... Or whenever you would want. But it's true that people are stronger in numbers. We can protect each other -" I continued when Thresh cut me off.

"Aspen, I know that it would probably be easier to make an alliance but we can't do that. You seem nice and that's the problem. When you're in an alliance with people, you get close to them. I already vowed to Rue that I wouldn't hurt her and I'll make the same promise to you. I won't hurt you. But when things get too close, I can't afford to get attached. None of us can. You get that, right?" Thresh explained.

"Of course."

I smiled and nodded at Thresh. It wasn't the answer that I wanted but it was the one that I had gotten. And at least they had both vowed to not hurt me in the arena. Not that I was afraid of Rue, but I was sure as hell afraid of Thresh. This just meant one more enemy down. At least I'd done something right today. Waving at the pair, I jumped through the branches and landed back at the base of the tree. I had been up there long enough and the training day was almost over. After almost seven hours I had barely done anything.

Now there was only about an hour left and I knew that I had to do something or else I would have wasted the entire day. Walking over to where the hand-to-hand combat station was, I took a deep breath. I knew that all eyes would be on me when I got up on the platform but it was a good thing. I didn't even need to beat the trainer, unlike some of the larger males would feel when it came to their fights. I just had to show that I was able to hold my own in a fight. I had to prove that I wasn't the weak and useless Tribute that I had shown myself to be so far.

Halfway across the room to where the fighting platform was Cato stormed past me from the weapons rack. I cringed and braced myself for the torture that was sure to come. He had probably gotten bored with fighting for the time being. However the jests never came. Instead he blew past me and I stared after him. He hadn't looked that furious at anyone but me. He went storming up to the District 6 male and I watched in an almost hypnotic state. What the hell was he doing? He stomped right up to the kid's face and grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"Where's my knife? Where did you put it?" he screamed at the kid, who looked more angry than scared. I knew that he was terrified. Looking away from the kid, he glanced down and looked over himself. "I put my knife..."

The pair were standing right in front of me and I batted whether or not I should intervene back and forth for a moment. The District 6 male shoved Cato back. "Don't touch me," he growled.

And I thought that I was stupid. I knew that the kid must have been determined to prove that he was tough, but he was picking a fight with the wrong Tribute. The District 6 male wasn't small, but he was nowhere near the size of Cato. He was probably a few inches taller than me and had some more muscle. But again, it paled in comparison to Cato. Instead of abiding by the rules and not making the whole fight a physical altercation, Cato walked right back up to the District 6 male and towered over him, the fear evident in the latter's eye.

"You took my knife!" Cato roared.

The poor kid couldn't have been older than sixteen. Looking around the room, I noticed that there was fabric drifting down from the ceiling. Glancing up, I saw that it was Rue's hair. She was in the black cable netting above the training room, clutching something in her hands. After a moment I realized that it was a knife. Cato's knife. Chuckling slightly, Rue placed a finger over her lips, silencing me. I smiled at the young girl. Looking over to my right, I saw that Thresh was also looking up at the ceiling to where Rue was. He was smiling at her just the way that a father would smile at his child. The sight was heartwarming.

Looking down away from Rue, I focused my attention back onto the problem at hand. It seemed that the District 6 male had finally come to his senses and realized that he didn't want a fight with the most intimidating Tribute that there was. He would have been a fool to start a fight with Cato. I already knew that I was a fool.

"I didn't touch your knife. I didn't touch your kni -" he began, as Cato grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"You liar. You little punk! You took my knife," Cato yelled.

Deciding that the whole thing had gone on long enough, I took matters into my own hands. Besides, I knew that if I waited here long enough Peacekeepers would get involved, and that wouldn't end well for any of us. I walked up to Cato and grabbed him by the arm. I tried to get a good grasp on him, but it was no use. His arm was too big and my hands were too small. Knowing that he would pay no mind to me until I made my presence known, I dug my nails into Cato's arm and cleared my throat.

"Cato!" I yelled. He glanced down at me for a moment, but it made no difference. He was still about to throttle the younger Tribute. "Stop! He doesn't have your knife!"

This time he seemed to know what he was doing as he raised his arm and pushed me back. I knew that he was more than likely trying to throw me off of him, but he hadn't judged the distance that well. He was too angry to think straight. His arm went directly back into my mouth and I was thrown roughly from Cato's grasp. Landing hard on my back, the wind knocked out of me, I was shocked at what had happened. Peacekeepers were surrounding the pair, clearly worried about breaking up the fight now that someone had been injured.

"Get off me," Cato growled, throwing the Peacekeepers off of him.

They were determined as they grabbed his arms and led him away from the scene of the fight. I heard Atala yell to the other Tributes to get back to training but I was too dazed to get up. His elbow to the face was ten times harder than my strongest punch. I jumped as a hand grabbed me under my arms and lifted me up. I wanted to shove myself away from her but I was still dizzy. It was a middle aged woman with a shirt that said she was on the medical team. She grabbed me and pulled me over to the same area where Cato was being lead.

As we arrived in the room, the woman brought me over to a bed and told me to sit down. Cato was walked over too. He seemed to be steaming at what had happened. I didn't know why he was mad though. He deserved it. They said no fighting before the arena but he had gone ahead and started a fight anyways. It made me want to chuck something through his head. He was such an ass and an idiot. The Peacekeepers that had him by the arms released him and sat him down a few feet away from me.

"Just sit here. You had better wait for the arena," the Peacekeeper warned him.

But he wasn't one to be defeated by something as little as a time out. Cato rose to his feet and looked at the younger boy who was standing alone and in shock. "You're the first one I get so watch your back, huh!" Cato howled. He yelled.

"You're such an ass," I growled, but he ignored me.

He was steaming for a few moments before his eyes had tracked over to me. I looked at him and shook my head. The last thing that I wanted to see was how he was angry about his knife. I was angry about the elbow to the face. I was sure that I looked pretty terrible right about now. I didn't want to know what he was thinking about right now. Probably his stupid fucking knife. He seemed to actually look like he felt bad but I knew that I couldn't trust him.

"Everybody back in line," Atala yelled.

The rest of the Tributes that were in line for one of the compulsory training units. I was pretty sure that they were fighting against the man with the padded bat. Damn it, I'd wanted to be there for that one. It might have actually come in handy to learn how to fight with a sword. I looked away from the setup and raised my hand to my face. Automatically I cringed at the pain that went through me. There was a slick liquid on my face and judging from the pain, it was my nose and lip that was bleeding.

A nurse quickly came over and looked at my face. She didn't look bothered at the sight of me. I assumed that they had injured Tributes all the time. The woman took a rag and quickly ran it over my face, telling me that I needed to be present for the training exercise, and that it was the last one of the day. I rolled my eyes but nodded at the woman anyways. I hoped that this was all that I would need but that impact had been hard and I knew that I wasn't going to be getting out of this one with just a bloody nose and lip.

She wiped the blood off of my face. As I had expected, there were worse injuries. The woman told me that I had a badly bruised cheek and that my nose had been broken. Apparently she could reset it, but the process would be painful. Stupidly I had ignored her and told her to do it fast. She had done just that. She placed her hand on the tender bone of the nose and quickly flicked her wrist. The nose barely moved, but it hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before. My entire face was on fire and part of me wished that she had just left it broken. Giving me a nod, she walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a small tub of cream.

Part of me couldn't help but sigh at the fact that this part probably wouldn't hurt. At least something wouldn't be painful or embarrassing today. She told me that the cream was for bruises and rubbed it onto my cheek. Grabbing my arm that Cato had wrenched around earlier, she rubbed it over my arm too. Right as she had me stand back up to leave and head back to the training room, she shook her head at me and told me to watch myself. She was saying that I still had to look presentable for Caesar when it was time for the Interviews.

Had I not been thanking her for helping me, I would have killed her. I would have taken her head and crushed it against the counter top that she was leaning against. I couldn't believe that through all of this, the knowledge that twenty-three of us would be dead in a few weeks, that it meant nothing to them. The only thing that meant anything to them was that we all looked good for their own amusement. Shaking my head at her, I walked away and fell into step with Cato, who was also being released. He looked like he might say something but thought better of it.

"You know you're next to me, Cato!" Glimmer squealed, pulled him in line with her.

The girl sneered at me and I snorted. I walked further back in the line and placed myself at the end. The line quickly went down and I watched the runs out of the corner of my eye. Marvel was fast but he was clumsy. Glimmer was actually pretty graceful but she lacked the speed. Cato was fast too. The only thing that appeared to be slowing him down was his weight. Clove was fast but she kept getting tangled up and getting mad at the nets, making her go even slower. Finch was astoundingly fast. She was in and out of the net in seemingly only seconds. Rue was similar.

Finch had the fastest time with Rue only mere seconds behind her and Cato a few seconds behind her. Peeta went next and he was miserable on the nets. He kept getting tangled up in the nets and fell a few times. He had one of the slowest times. Finally it was my turn and I sighed. This was the end. I just had to do this one last thing and I could go upstairs. I could go upstairs and pretend that this whole day had never happened. That was all that I wanted right now.

Taking my mark, I nodded at the trainer to start the timer. When the buzzer went off I launched myself through the first group of nets, easily twisting in and out of them. As the nets began to cross over each other, and I had to jump over them, I started to get tangled up. I was disappointed that I kept getting tangled up in the nets but I was sure that I had a good time. Rolling out of the last net, I dropped onto the platform and looked up at the time. I had come in a few seconds behind Cato. It put me in fourth place. Not bad after a day like this.

Apparently we weren't allowed to leave yet. We did another compulsory exercise. It was a version of monkey bars that we were supposed to cross. There were rings that we had to move across an uneven track to get to the other end. Almost everyone had trouble with it. A number of the Tributes fell. Peeta was among them. None of the Careers fell but I noticed Glimmer and Coral had a hard time with it. Many of the Tributes from the inner Districts fell. There was one particular boy that I felt bad for. He fell and almost definitely broke his ankle. They would be able to fix it but he would have a hard time walking today.

Just like with the previous compulsory exercise, I was the last person to go across the bars. It was more difficult than I had originally been pegging it for. The rings were extremely difficult to move and some of the changes in height of the bars were almost too tall for me to move up. But I was somehow able to make it to the other end in just under a minute. I had to swing onto the far platform - almost barreling into Cato - as I hit the ground. My arms felt like jelly from the trip across the bars.

As I stood up the bell rang and I let out a breath a relief. Finally this stupid day was over. It had felt like it was never going to end. I was more than a little grateful that I couldn't possibly embarrass myself any more than I already had. Grabbing Peeta by the back of the shirt, I pulled him with me towards the elevator. He looked a little surprised but stumbled after me. All I wanted was to get some dinner and go back to bed. He nodded at me as I looked at him, practically begging, and the two of us made our way out of the training room.

Stepping into the elevator, the doors were about to close when a small hand stopped them. It turned out that it was Glimmer who let herself, Coral, Clove, Marvel, and Cato into the elevator. The seven of us all crowded together and I felt like I might be sick. Quickly we hit the first floor and Glimmer and Marvel climbed out, saying goodbye to the other Careers. Glimmer gave Cato a quick squeeze of the arm and I snorted at the look of horror on his face. Glimmer turned back, giving me a nasty glare before the doors slid shut.

The elevator once more moved upwards, letting off Clove and Cato. Clove shoved past me and I grunted as I smacked into Peeta. I stood upright again, just in time for Cato to slide past me. This time he only gently brushed past me as he exited. Maybe it was to make up for earlier. The elevator closed again and made its ascent to the fourth floor. Coral slid out of the elevator and finally Peeta and I made our way to the penthouse. The doors slid open and we walked out of the elevator, immediately being bombarded with questions from Effie and Haymitch.

Not in the mood to answer their questions, I looked to Peeta and he nodded. Knowing that he would take care of whatever they wanted to know, I walked away from our Mentor and Escort and made my way into my room. Stripping off the training outfit, I bundled it up and threw it into the corner. I walked into the bathroom and let the water from the shower pour over me. I needed it. I quickly washed the shampoo and conditioner through my hair, ready for dinner. I hadn't eaten at lunch and now I was starving. Running the lavender wash over my body I turned the water off and jumped onto the drying pad.

Walking off I stalked back into my bedroom and searched through the drawers. I grabbed a tight black tank top and a pair of white work out shorts. Not that I was really working out anymore, but they were nice to lay around in. Walking over to the vanity, I grabbed a hair tie and pulled my hair up before walking out into the living room. I was greeted softly by both Haymitch and Effie and I smiled at the both of them. They had done nothing. I should at least try and be nice to them. It would be best to keep my anger to myself.

Effie turned on the television set and I looked over at it. Currently the program that was ending was the critique of last years' Games. They hadn't been very fascinating as a number of the Tributes had died from freezing to death and a general lack of food and water. There had only been one bloody fight at the Death Match, and even the Victor had almost died himself. I looked up at Effie with a cocked eyebrow, realizing that she was smiling at me.

"Up next is the ranking that the Gamemakers send out. By watching you all in training, they determine who they think will be the winner and what the rankings will be," she said.

I gulped at her words. If that was what this would be, then I probably didn't want to watch. Just as I thought that, the Capitol symbol was shown and Caesar and Claudius appeared on the screen. They were babbling about what an amazing first day this had been and they were gossiping about rumors that were flying. Although cameras weren't allowed in the training center, things that happened that day always got out. The Capitol had spies everywhere. The rankings finally began to pop up on the screen and I watched them closely.

In first was Cato. I hadn't had any doubt that he would still be the favorite to win. Marvel followed him, taking over Thresh's spot. Thresh was now in third. Clove followed, still in fourth, Coral behind her in fifth. Glimmer was in sixth and I frowned. They had knocked Peeta down. The District 7 male was behind her, and his female partner behind him. The District 9 female came up next in tenth. Jason, the District 6 male, was next. The District 8 male followed. Peeta's own face finally popped up in the thirteenth spot. He looked defeated. At least his name had popped up.

The District 10 male popped up and finally my face was shown on the screen. I was fifteenth in the running. Looking down at my plate, I shook my head. That definitely wasn't what I was expecting. What the hell was this all about? I was eighth when we were coming over here. Now I had dropped seven spots all because I had a bad day in training. But I had managed to do some good things. Evidently not enough. Seemingly shocked at the rankings, Effie turned off the television and we were plunged into a silent dinner. For a while the four of us picked at our food.

Finally Haymitch seemed to think that he may as well use this as a lesson. He straightened up and looked over at Peeta and I. "He's a Career. You know what that is?" Haymitch asked.

I nodded my head at him. He was talking about Marvel, Glimmer, Clove, Cato, and this year, Coral. Peeta shook his head. Haymitch looked over at him and nodded. "From District 1," I said.

"And 2," Haymitch added. "They've been training in a special academy 'till they're eighteen and then they volunteer. By that point they're pretty lethal."

By the slight hesitation in his voice I knew that he wanted to tell us something reassuring, but there was nothing good to say, and he knew it. One of them would likely win the Games. The numbers said that and I was confident in it too. They always won. It wouldn't be a shock. Adding in her useless comment as usual, I rolled my eyes at Effie.

"But they don't receive any special treatment. In fact, they're staying at the exact same apartment as you are. And I don't think that they let them have dessert and you can."

Sometimes she was nice to listen to, but right now, we didn't need it. Now was the time to be serious and get this stuff out of the way. I knew enough about the Games but clearly Peeta had been slightly sheltered. Haymitch shook his head at her and Effie scoffed, like she was a child that had just been scolded. After a moment of silence, Peeta looked over at Haymitch and raised his eyebrow.

"So how good are they?" he asked our Mentor.

Amazing, I wanted to tell him. I left it to Haymitch. The only thing that I knew from the Games were what I had seen on television. He had lived them. "Obviously they're pretty good. They've won in almost every single year but... almost. They can be arrogant. And arrogance can be a big problem," he said.

That was what I was hoping would be the problem in the crop of Careers this year. They all looked arrogant enough. I knew that Haymitch wasn't one to sugarcoat things, so he was telling us these things honestly. And he was right. Every year Careers died because they were too arrogant. They either thought that no one could beat them, no one would challenge them, or that the Capitol wouldn't let them die. But that was never the case. Normally it was someone with a level head and high skill set that won the Games.

"I hear you can shoot... and throw," Haymitch said, looking over at me.

I stared at him for a moment, unsure of what I should say. I knew that I should tell him the truth, but could I? I trusted Peeta enough, and I thought that we had a silent agreement that we wouldn't kill each other, but I didn't know if I should say something. What if he got mad at me or got cornered by the Careers? Would he give me up to them if it meant that he would live for another day? Probably. I would. Deciding to trust my District partner, I nodded slowly at Haymitch, wondering where exactly this was going. As far as I knew, Haymitch used a sword and a knife to win. But mostly the force field.

"I'm alright," I told him quietly.

Haymitch nodded at me. I thought the conversation was over but Peeta's voice forced me to look over to him. "Actually, better than alright. My parents buy her squirrels. He say she hits 'em right in the eye, every time," Peeta said.

What just happened? I looked at Peeta in shock. What the hell had that been? Was he trying to make me look better than I really was? Get their hopes up and then make them lose faith in me when I failed? Or was he really trying to help me out here? I couldn't quite tell. Peeta was staring at me as if to ask why I was upset that he'd mentioned my good aim. Not knowing what else to do, I decided to play the game right back with him.

"Peeta's strong," I said, looking back at Haymitch.

Judging by the look on Peeta's face, I could tell that he had not been expecting me to do that. "What?" Haymitch asked, clearly confused at what was happening.

This just got weird, and far too tense, for my liking. I had to tell Haymitch that Peeta wasn't the only one that had a strength. Looking over to Peeta, I nodded at his arms. "He can throw a one hundred pound sack of flour right over his head. I've seen it," I told Haymitch.

It wasn't a lie. I'd seen him do it. Occasionally on the way back from a hunt, or leaving from selling to his parents, I would see him out back. He was always lifting the heavy objects that his family no longer could. Or things that his brothers were too lazy to do. I knew that he had two older brothers. I wondered if he was angry with them for letting him come here when I had fought so hard to take Prim's place. Instead of giving it back to me, Peeta turned back to me with a glare.

"Okay, well I can't kill anybody by a sack of flour," he snapped.

In the back of my mind I knew that he hadn't meant to get angry with me, but that was what these Games did to you. They made you antsy and angry. Not even just at the Capitol, but at everyone. Even those who had nothing to do with what had happened to you. It was the anger that was why so many Tributes went mad in the arena. Getting angry right back to Peeta, I didn't mean to, but I snapped back at him.

"No, you might have a better chance at winning when somebody comes after you with a knife," I sneered.

It was true. I would be too weak to fend off most of the other Tributes. Peeta was strong and he would be able to keep attackers at bay. This time Peeta slammed his fork onto his plate, startling us. "I have no chance of winning. None! Alright? It's true. Everybody knows it. You know what my mother said?" he asked me. I didn't nod or shake my head. I just sat there in silence. "She said, 'District 12 might finally have a winner!' But she wasn't talking about me. She was talking about you. I'm not very hungry."

He stood from the table and walked off. I stared after Peeta for a moment, wondering what the hell had just happened. Had his own mother really said that? How could his own mother have said that? She didn't think that her own son had what it took? He was stronger than me. If Peeta wanted to, he could easily kill me. So why was she so convinced that I would be the winner? Pushing my food around on my plate for a few minutes, I grew sick of the awkward silence and dropped my fork.

"I'm done too," I said quietly, standing and walking out of the living room.

I walked past my own room, debating for a minute to go in, but I decided against it. I was too restless and too angry to go in there. I felt like I would break something if I walked in there. Instead I walked past and made my way down the hallway. The next door that I passed was the one for Haymitch's and down the hall slightly was Effie's. Coming to the end of the hall I was afraid that I would have to go into my own room before I read a sign that read 'Roof Access.' Deciding that I might as well go and try for it, I pushed open the door and walked out of the room.

There was another small set of stairs that I followed, to see what the stairs led to. It ended up being the roof of the Training Center. The roof of the Training Center was amazing. There was a small garden that looked so peaceful that I could have hidden up here all day. It was gorgeous. How could something so beautiful be in a place that was so vile? Walking through the plants, I noticed that there was a dark berry that was growing on the back wall of the greenhouse. It was Nightlock. Shaking slightly, I walked away from the greenhouse and out towards the ledge.

At least that wouldn't poison me. I had heard that there was a force field that would stop any Tributes from jumping to their untimely death. How nice. They want to keep us safe. I wondered if it was the truth, but that wasn't the way that I wanted to go if it wasn't. Walking over to the edge anyways, I looked over the buildings and smiled. They were huge and lit up so well. The streets were alive too. There were lights everywhere and all of the citizens looked alert, talking and laughing with one another. But that was all that I could see. Mostly the people just looked like ants.

Sitting down on the ledge, a voice nearly made me fall off. "Beautiful view isn't it?" Peeta asked.

I jumped and looked over at him. He looked depressed, gazing down at the ground below. "It makes me angry. This place is so beautiful," I muttered.

I knew that I needed to apologize, but I was still looking for a way to. What could I say? I'm sorry that your mother has more faith in me than you? No, that was terrible. "It is," Peeta agreed.

"But District 12 is better. It's real."

"You're right. Aspen, I'm not upset with you. This is just hard, you know?" Peeta asked.

Sighing lightly, I walked over to where Peeta was sitting on the ledge and I gently dropped down besides him. Debating on it for a moment, I decided to gently place my hand over his. "I know, Peeta. This is hard. Especially when we look like we'll be some of the first Tributes to die," I muttered angrily.

"We won't," Peeta said determinedly.

"I know. We won't. We have a damn good chance to win this," I said brightly.

"No matter what they say," Peeta added.

"Screw what your mother said and forget the Capitol for underestimating us. You and me both. We'll give them hell," I told him with a smile.

Peeta returned my smile and grabbed my hand. Squeezing it tightly, he pulled me into his side for a hug. The two of us sat there for a moment just staring out at the Capitol. There were people screaming down on the streets and I thought about spitting over the edge. It wasn't like I would be hurting anyone. They deserved it. They were cheering on the deaths of kids that had done nothing to deserve this. How would they feel if it were their kids that were in this building? If it were their kids that had less than a five percent chance of living the rest of their lives? The life that they were entitled to live.

"Spoken like a true Victor, Aspen."

Both Peeta and I jumped at the voice that had called out from behind. Part of me hoped that it was one of the Capitol officials, so that they knew that I was ready for this, but I was also afraid that they might torture me in the Games. Turning slowly I saw that it was one of the last people that I would have expected it to be. It was Finnick Odair. What the hell was he doing up here? Finnick took a few steps towards us and gave Peeta a long look with a sly smile.

"Peeta, would you mind giving me a few minutes with your partner here?" he asked.

I was slightly nervous about what Finnick wanted, but he looked like he really was here to talk. "You good?" Peeta asked.

"Fine. See you tomorrow," I said.

"See you."

Peeta walked by Finnick and back through the door to our apartment. I assumed that he was going to mourn his own loss of ranking. We were both upset at the way that we had ended the very important first day of training. Finnick stood at the other end of the roof for a moment before walking up to me. He stared at me for a moment before seating himself. Thankfully he respected my personal space enough to maintain a slight space between us.

"I hear that you had a hard time at training today," Finnick said softly.

"That's one way of putting it," I said, earning a small smile.

I really didn't want to hear another person tell me how likely I was to die in these Games. "I'm not here to tell you that I think you'll lose," Finnick said.

I looked up at him in shock, curious as to why he had faith in me. "Really?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Really. In fact, I think you'll win. I think that you have a good chance at winning."

"Thank you," I said in shock.

"Look, Aspen, I know about being the underdog. I was too. I was only fourteen when I won. Everyone thought that I would be dead within a few days. But I wasn't. I won. I think you can too," he said.

I sat there in utter shock for a moment. Why had he told me this? Why was he helping me and not his own Tributes? He had two that could use the pep talk. Not that I wanted him to make either one of them more confident, but I was surprised that he was saying all of this to me. Just a little District 12 Tribute. I definitely appreciated the pep talk but I couldn't figure out why Finnick seemed to want me to win. Or at least why he wanted me to have faith in myself.

"Thank you, Finnick," I told him with nothing else to say.

Finnick shook his head quickly. "I'm not here to give you a pep talk Aspen," he said.

"So why are you here?" I said sharply.

"I know that this won't make very much sense, but it will eventually. I want you to win. I think that you will win. In fact, my money is on you to win. But there's something that you have to know about what will come when you win. The same thing will happen to you that happened to me. Cato is the favorite to win right?" Finnick asked me.

"Of course. He's a Career."

"Exactly. And you will beat him. They will have to prove that you are still theirs. And they will do anything to show it. They will take what is yours. Physical and mental. The only thing that you will have is secrets. After all, that is how the Capitol pays me."

I must have run what he said in my mind over and over for at least twenty minutes before I finally looked over to him and said one of the most unintelligent things that I ever had. "What?" I asked.

Immediately I wanted to slap myself. You couldn't have even pretended that you had the slightest clue about what he was talking about? I was furious with myself. I had to make myself look like the biggest moron on the planet. Like I hadn't already made things bad enough for me. Finnick shook his head at me and stood up. He offered me a hand and I took it, letting him pull me up.

"I know it doesn't make any sense, what I just said. But it's all that I can tell you for now. I have to go. I've been gone for too long. Before I go... you should take this," Finnick said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metallic object. I flipped it over a few times before realizing what it was. It was a tape recording. "What is this?" I asked.

"Look at that before you go to bed. I think it will help. Oh, and I'm sorry about your parents."

"Thank you," I whispered.

I watched as he walked to a staircase opposite the door that led back into my hallway. So that was how he'd gotten up here. He didn't come in here through my hallway. He just took the stairs. Walking back across the greenhouse, I pulled open the door to the hall and stepped through. I debated on going to Peeta to watch the video but I shook off the thought. I didn't know what was on that video yet. I heard voices in the living room so I made my way quickly into my room. I didn't want to talk to anyone right now. I just wanted to see what it was that Finnick had wanted me to see so badly.

Slipping into my room, I popped the video into the player at the base of the television and fell back onto my bed. The Panem anthem played and the Hunger Games symbol popped up. I sat forward, interested in what was going to happen. I thought that it might be Finnick's Games, but it turned out that I was dead wrong. The next title to pop up read Death Match and I felt my blood run cold. It turned to ice when the number read 'Fifty-Fifth.' It was my father's Games. I was going to watch him die. This was the clip that Haymitch had told me to watch. It had just been the other day, but it felt like an eternity ago.

The screen faded into the arena that year and I looked closely at it. It appeared to be a swamp style arena. That was probably why my father had made it as far as he did. It was similar to the style of the woods back home. It just seemed to have a little more water and appeared to be very humid. The woods in District 12 were mostly dry. The screen was split into two sides. On the left there was only a bundle of trees and the number twelve at the top of the section. I assumed that was where my father was.

On the right was a boy that appeared to be about eighteen. He had ruffled blonde hair and he was tall. Built just like a Career. On the top of his screen was the number two. This was the man that killed my father. I didn't recognize who he was. I waited for the commenting from Caesar to start, but it never did. Somehow Finnick had gotten the non-altered version of the Games. How he had swung that, I had no idea. I watched the screens for a few minutes before finally there was movement on my father's side. He rustled out of the tree and I watched as he jumped down.

Looking at my father was something amazing. I looked just like him. We had the same light blonde hair and face. The same small nose and same eye shape. His were brown. I assumed my mother's were blue. We even had the same small lips. There was no doubt that he was my father. He seemed to be tall though. If I had to guess, I would say that he was around six feet. Looking at him like this I would guess that he was my brother, not my father. The boy on the other side was sharpening a knife. My throat closed. That was the knife that would end my father's life and ensure that I would never meet him.

My father was holding a small sword and I smiled. At least he didn't go down like a coward. My father looked like he was about to move, but the beeping of a package stopped him. And it nearly stopped my heart. I had just been born. My father walked over to the package and popped it open. Inside was a small pink blanket and a note. My father looked over it for a while before I finally saw the tears fill his eyes. He knew. He knew that he had a baby girl. He grabbed the blanket and tucked it into his back pocket, marching out of the small clearing he had been in.

Fast-forwarding the scene, I knew that I was getting closer to the end of my father's life, but I had to see it. Skipping through about two hours of the Games, I finally saw that the two screens had merged. They were together. I hit the play button on the remote and sat ramrod straight. My father was on the left side of the screen and the boy from District 2 was on the right. He stood there with a brave smile clutching the knife tightly. Without warning, the boy threw the knife and it lodged into my father's shoulder. I gasped loudly and covered my mouth. I knew what was coming but I wasn't ready to see it.

The boy ran up to my father and I squinted at the screen. Without slowing down the boy bowled my father over and grabbed the knife that was still implanted in my father's shoulder. He grabbed the knife and twisted on it. In that moment, I heard the most inhuman noise that I had ever heard. Ignoring the obvious pain that my father was in the boy laughed and pushed down on the wound with all of his strength. My father merely screamed even louder. Finally taking his hand off of the wound, the boy dangled his face in front of my father's.

"Cute little thing you've got here," the boy said, holding up my blanket. In that moment I saw the same rage in my father that I knew was buried down somewhere inside of me. "I like it. I think it means your little tike was born today, right?"

"Fuck you," my father responded.

His voice was deep, unlike mine. "A little girl? What's her name?" he asked.

"I'll fucking kill you."

"Look... this is how it'll go. I'm going to kill you and you know that. So I'll be kind about it. Turn to the camera and tell your girl something. Tell her something that she can watch you say, years from now. Show her what her father was like in his dying moments," the boy said.

My father turned to the camera, and I felt my heart stop. This had been broadcasted to all of the nation. They had all seen something that had only been meant for me to hear. "I love you, sweetheart," my father said. "Your mother, she'll take care of you. You be brave for me and you look away. I love you and I always will. Be brave. Aspen."

Had he named me or had my mother? Was that his last request? Was his last request that I be named Aspen? The first tear fell out of my eyes. I'd never heard him speak. I'd never seen him before. How was this the only way that I would see him? Without missing a beat my father swung up his arm and managed to throw a small hunting knife, that I hadn't seen before, directly into the boy's eye. At least he had blinded him before he'd gone out.

Part of me was glad that I hadn't eaten dinner or I would have thrown it up. The blood and gore was horrible. Both my father and the boy were squirming in pain. They had to end it soon. The boy was looking away from my father and I saw my father grab his knife, limping up to the boy. My father raised the knife, and just as I thought that he would stab the District 2 boy, the Victor turned and slammed the knife into my father's chest. I cried out softly at the look of shock on my father's face and I waited.

He was about to die. Falling to his knees, my father yelled out in pain and flopped onto his chest in the soggy swamp. As I watched the light leave his eyes, I almost missed his last words. "I'm sorry, Aspen..."

He was barely able to get them out. Those were the last things that he'd said. He spent his last words telling me that he was sorry. His last thoughts had been of me, and likely, my mother. The light in his eyes dimmed and the cannon went off. I heard the announcement sound that the boy had won the Games and I heard his animalistic howl, but I didn't listen. My mind was in other places. The television shut itself off and I stood to grab the tape out of the player. I put it in the desk and pulled the sheets back to lay down. I stared up at the ceiling, wondering what the hell Finnick had given me the tape for.

Why had Haymitch wanted me to watch it so badly? To destroy my hopes that I could win the Games? If my father hadn't, and my mother hadn't, how could I? All of the Careers wanted me dead and I looked like a complete fool to the Capitol. But I knew what I had to do. I would not end up like my father or my mother. I would avenge them. I would prove that I was tougher than these Games. I would win and I would kill Cato. I would make the Capitol look like a fool for ever doubting me. Tomorrow I would go into that training room and I would give them hell.


	6. Chapter Six

Upon hearing a loud knock at my door, I knew that it was Effie telling me that it was time to get up. Sighing at the fact that it felt even earlier today than it did yesterday, I rolled off of the edge of the bed and landed on all fours. It was the way that I frequently woke myself up every morning back in District 12. I yawned from my lack of sleep and stood up quickly. Effie would have a fit if I wasn't out for breakfast soon. Grabbing my training clothes I quickly stripped off my sleep clothes and pulled the new outfit on. It was just the same as yesterday. I threw the sleep clothes in the corner and walked into the bathroom.

Once I had cleaned my teeth and ran some water over my face to wake myself up, I prepared to see what would undoubtedly be an ugly sight. Looking myself over in the mirror, I grimaced. I was right about it not being a pretty sight. There were dark circles under my eyes and I looked absolutely exhausted. It definitely showed that I hadn't slept well last night. I supposed that it was a good thing that today was another day of training and not the Interviews. It didn't really matter what I looked like today. I pulled my hair up quickly, slipped on my boots, and walked out of the room.

Walking over to the table I noticed that the Capitol news was on. As I should have expected, there was only news of the Games on. Apparently there was a small issue with the arena that the Gamemakers were working to fix as fast as possible. I rolled my eyes at the news. There was an issue with the new arena almost every year. But they always managed to get it fixed just in time. I had always thought that it was more of a scare tactic for the Tributes. Mostly used to make us think that there was something extra intricate in our Games. But it was always just the same.

I kept my eyes glued on the screen when I saw that they were now announcing the new rankings in the polls. Hopefully I had moved slightly. I couldn't afford to look this bad. If nothing else, I needed to stay in the middle of the pack. People at the bottom never got Sponsors. They didn't think that they would live long enough to even justify having a Sponsor. I looked at the list of the Tributes and scanned to the fifteenth spot. I was no longer there. Instead I saw that my name was even lower. It was in the eighteenth spot now. Closing my eyes and looking away from the screen, I took my spot at the table.

They really thought that I had no chance of winning these Games. I couldn't believe it. If only I was able to throw knives. If I really wanted to I could hide in the trees and use the knives to take out every threat that came my way. It would have been easy enough. But at Haymitch's order I was to remain appearing weak. Haymitch was shaking his head at the screen and Peeta was looking at me with sympathy. He knew how I felt. As I took a spot next to him he put a hand on my leg and squeezed it gently. I smiled weakly at him. His spot was still low too.

Haymitch walked around the table and grabbed my shoulder lightly as he passed. I sighed and dropped my head to my plate. I didn't want to but I knew that I needed to eat. Thinking back to District 12, I wondered what everyone was thinking right now. Probably that we wouldn't have a Victor this year. Katniss was probably shaking her head, knowing that I was better than this. Prim was more than likely being positive, saying that I could still prove myself. Gale, on the other hand, was probably sitting in a stony silence, knowing that he would never see his best friend again. He was probably right.

I finished my plate slowly and looked up. Effie was shaking her head, clearly disappointed with my performance. She ate her breakfast in silence along with everyone else. Peeta was ranked higher than I was. He was about average for a District 12 Tribute. So was I, actually. But they all knew that I was better. That was the problem. My ranking should have been so much higher. Rolling my eyes at the pity that was evident all around the table I stood from my spot and looked at Haymitch.

"I'm gonna head down to the training room. No use being late twice in a row," I told him.

He nodded slowly. "Good luck. Stick together. Hide your strengths," Haymitch warned again.

I quickly spun on my heel, leaving the room. "I'll come with you," Peeta said.

It would have been nice but I didn't wait for him. I merely whipped around on my heel and headed straight back towards the elevator. I turned back and saw that Peeta was directly behind me. Peeta smiled at me and fell into step at my side. I sighed and smiled back at him. At least someone was being nice. Walking into the elevator, I hit the sub-level button and stared out the window as the elevator started its descent. As we passed the seventh floor I saw both of the Tributes heading over to the elevator. Both looked scared out of their wits. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to them this morning.

If it made them too afraid to impress the Gamemakers that was fine by me. Glancing up through the crystal window, I saw Rue looking over the edge of the eleventh floor balcony. I caught her eye and gave her a small smile. She quickly responded with one of her own. Peeta followed my gaze and gave the small girl a quick smile before we were out of sight. I heard the elevator ding and I sighed, ready for the new day of torture. But as I looked at the overhead panel that read what floor we were on, I took in a deep breath.

This was even better. The sign above us read 'Two' and I could have jumped off of the back of the elevator, if it wasn't encased in bullet proof glass. The Capitol had really thought of everything to ensure that they didn't lose any Tributes. I wanted to be somewhere else. The last thing that I wanted was to have to deal with Cato today. He had been bad enough the past two days. I took a deep breath and backed into the corner of the elevator, hoping that Cato would leave me alone this morning.

The doors slid open and I looked up, watching as Cato and Clove strode into the elevator. Clove stood at the doors, clearly not wanting to be in here with us. I was fine with her that far away. Cato, on the other hand, walked all the way to the back of the elevator and took a spot next to me. He was far closer than necessary. I took in a deep breath and noticed a sweet smell. It was the same lavender that I used when I showered. Only I hadn't showered this morning. Looking up, I realized that it was Cato. He must have liked the smell too.

Laughing quietly under my breath, the three others in the elevator turned to me. Peeta was looking at me like I was nuts, Clove was looking at me with disgust, and Cato was looking at me with his signature smirk. It made me almost immediately sober up. If I could keep quiet today maybe Cato would leave me alone for the rest of training.

"Something funny, 12?" Cato asked.

"No," I muttered.

I hoped that he would let it go but I should have known better. Cato turned and gave me a once over. His eyes stopped on my own. For a moment I saw a flash of curiosity go through them. "I think I know what it is. Maybe you saw those scores yesterday, right? You're right, those were pretty funny. At this rate, you'll be the first dead. And poor little Prim will never see it coming," Cato said.

My jaw tightened. I wanted to pounce on him, tackle him, and kill him, right then and there. But naturally I couldn't. Not yet anyways. I would have to wait like everyone else. The elevator dinged again and when I looked up the elevator panel had a 'T' on the screen. Thankfully we hadn't stopped at District 1's floor. The doors slid open and I had to stop myself from bolting out of the elevator. Clove stomped out of the elevator and Peeta slowly walked out. I waited for Cato to leave but it quickly became obvious that he wouldn't. Shaking my head, I stepped out of the elevator carefully and met up with Peeta.

He gave me a look, silently asking if I was okay and I nodded. The two of us turned to the hallway and headed down it. I pushed the doors of the training room open and stepped through. It appeared that this time we were right on time. District 1 was already there, waving over Cato and Clove. I noticed that Coral was there already too, standing with the Career's. Her District partner, however, was off in the corner by himself. District's 3, 5, 6, 9, 10 were also there. It seemed that we were only waiting on four Tributes. So maybe we weren't as early as I had thought that we were. At least we weren't late.

I took my spot on my circle and watched as the Tributes found their respective circles. Cato took his spot next to me. I was sure that he was thinking about what to say to get on my nerves. Looking ahead at the training room I watched as Atala stepped forward and began her speech. I wasn't listening but I did hear a few select instructions. Today we would be doing the Gauntlet. I smirked. I knew that I would be able to make myself look better on that. She was also suggesting that whatever you focused on yesterday to focus on the opposite today. That would be weapons for me. But I had to listen to Haymitch. I had to stay away from them.

Atala dismissed us and I sighed. Again the majority of the Tributes headed for weapons. I ran a few ideas through my head before deciding that I would start out as I did yesterday. I motioned to Peeta that I would be going for a run and he nodded at me. I figured that he wasn't much of a runner so I shrugged and headed over to the waiting trainer. As I made my way over to the track, I heard the laughing of what was no doubt the Careers. Turning my head, I saw that it was Glimmer heading the jibes today. All but Cato were laughing. He was merely watching me with a deep smirk, waiting for me to mess up.

"Running again today, 12?" Glimmer jibbed.

"Well spotted," I said, accidentally repeating Cato's words from yesterday.

He was smirking at me but said nothing. "Trust me, you can run as fast as you want. We're still gonna get you!" she cried.

"Shut up, Shimmer," I growled.

Her jaw dropped as I passed the Careers. I knew her name damn well but I wouldn't give her that satisfaction. She deserved to get knocked down a peg... or twelve. Glimmer looked at me with fury in her eyes but her fury was turned on her group of Careers when they all began to laugh. Marvel looked like he might wet himself and Clove was smirking at the girl. I could tell that Marvel and Glimmer hadn't gotten along well before this. Cato was chuckling lowly and Coral was trying not to laugh. I smiled as I walked past the Careers, hearing nothing more than Glimmer's lunatic ranting.

As I walked up to the trainer on the track, he smiled and gave me a small wink. I laughed at the older man and gave him a high five. He seemed to be one of the nicer people that were here in the Capitol. I hated that he did this but if he was going to speak up for me during their deliberations for scoring I would play nice with him. He stepped aside and allowed me to get into my running position. Not bothering to stretch I took off in a dead sprint, wondering how far I would be able to make it without slowing down. Just in case I had to run in the arena without a chance to stop.

Sprinting lap after lap I relied on the trainer to tell me how far I would have made it. I let my mind wander as I ran. What would be the next thing that I did? Knives? I shouldn't. That was my best weapon. I should probably hide that. Bow and arrows? No. That was another thing to save for the Gamemakers. Hand-to-hand combat? That was a possibility. It wasn't my strongest suit but I wasn't bad. I could learn a thing or two and not look like a weak fool. But I wouldn't be showing all of my strengths. I should probably go back to that rope course again today to show that I was only having an off day yesterday.

Finally tiring, I slowed my run slightly and made my way back to the start of the lap. I stopped in front of the trainer and leaned against the wall. He was smiling with pride, looking down at his stopwatch. "That was great! Better than I've seen from almost any other Tribute. You got five miles down," he said.

"That's good?" I asked.

"In just under half an hour? That's great. And had you been running for your life, you would have been faster. Get in that Cornucopia, grab what you need, and get the hell out of there," my trainer advised.

"Thank you."

Giving him a small smile I turned and walked off. It would be the last time that I would run. I definitely wasn't going to show my running skills to the Gamemakers. That wasn't good enough to get me a good score. I was tired after the dead sprint so I figured that I should slow down and make my way over to one of the survival stations. I walked over to the knot tying station and smiled at the trainer. I really only knew a little bit about making traps. Gale had always been better with that kind of stuff. I, along with Katniss, caught my meat fresh.

The trainer was incredibly helpful and within an hour I had learned plenty of new knots and perfected ones that I already knew. I had learned a bowline knot, which was the best for lifting and dragging an animal. I knew that it would be the knot that might help me not die of starvation. I also learned a clove hitch, one that would be able to tie me into a tree overnight. If there were trees in the arena this year, that is. He had even shown me a sheepshank, which would shorten the rope if I didn't want to cut it. Thanking the trainer profusely, I moved away from the knot tying station.

As I started on the fire-making station with Peeta, I took a look around to the rest of the Tributes. Cato was standing with a sword and fighting against some plastic dummies. The trainer counted him down before allowing him to go. He sliced off the arm of one before turning on his heel to slice across the torso of another, which would have effectively spilled someone's guts. He twisted to the side and decapitated the next dummy before turning back and cutting off the head of another one. He twirled on his heel and jammed the tip of his sword into the stomach of the final one. I watched in shock.

That was the first time that I'd seen him with a real sword and he had proven himself to be more than a little effective. Over at the spear station Marvel launched a spear directly into the heart of a dummy that was twenty feet away. Glimmer was next to him at the bow and arrow station. She pulled back and let the arrow go into the arm. It would hurt and slow someone down but it wasn't a kill shot. Clove was still throwing knives. She threw three knives into the center of her targets, one having been overhanded. Everyone had been so impressed.

I'd had to look away so that I didn't laugh. It was impressive but I could do better. I walked past the weapons area to get a glass of water. I was dehydrated from the running and I wanted to head over to the climbing station. I already knew how to make fire. I wanted to make up for the pathetic way that I had failed on the course the day before. I gulped the water down and tossed the cup, headed back through the weapons area. As I passed the knife throwing station, I caught Clove's eye and she turned to me while flipping a small throwing knife. It looked balanced by the way that she was tossing it.

"What are you making knots for, 12?" she asked.

"You might want to try it out yourself if you don't know why," I sneered.

"You won't make it past the Bloodbath," Clove said, with a wicked smirk.

Otherwise she ignored my comment about learning to tie a knot. I was almost glad that she did. I shouldn't be advising her about anything. Even if it was said during a moment of anger. Without missing a beat, Clove turned back to the still target and threw her knife. The blade landed in the dead center of the target. She had barely aimed and I rolled my eyes. I could do that. I knew that I was better than her but it still made me nervous. She could still likely hit me. Steeling myself, I walked away from Clove and over to the climbing station.

All I had to do was ignore her words. I just had to ignore them for another two days and we would be in the arena where we would try to kill each other. The trainer looked at me in shock, obviously having not expected me to come over here again, but she was able to cover it quickly. She stood to the side of the station that had tripped me up yesterday and I took in a few deep breaths. This was my chance to make myself look better. This was my chance to raise my ranks. I needed to be above the twelfth spot to have any chance of Sponsors. I had to make my way up seven spots at the least.

The timer beeped and I took off through the rope nets. Just like the first time I made a few stumbles but I was through the rope course quickly. That was the easy part. I was up the climb even faster today. Flipping myself upside down I flew through the nets just like I had the day before. The whole course was a blur until I arrived at the same spot that I had been in yesterday. I looked down for a moment and saw that most of the eyes were on me. Even the Gamemakers were watching me. I dropped my legs from the net and hung in front of the large gap.

There was no way that I could fall today. There were far too many people watching me. The Gamemakers were some of them. They would determine where my ranking was which would in change determine how many people would want to Sponsor for me. Plus there was the issue that they could send something after me at any point in the Games. I could hear the chants from the Careers who were all telling me to drop or to fall. They were also telling me that I wasn't good enough. But I refused to believe that. I knew that I was good enough. I would make it.

Swinging hard back and forth until I had a good rhythm going, I swung back once as hard as I could and when I was heading back down I released. For a moment I was flying through the air, and then I was hitting the hard platform. My hands just barely caught onto the platform and I was almost unable to hold my position at the weight of my body. But I pushed through and was able to get a better hold. Moving my arms up the platform, I caught a hand hold and pulled myself up. I swung one leg onto the platform and, with the new leverage, I was able to pull my entire body up onto the platform.

Glancing down at the ground I saw that the Careers were all rolling their eyes, clearly unhappy with the fact that I had made it. They'd all been hoping that I would fall. Rue was off to the side of the platform, smiling at my success. Wondering what the Gamemakers thought I looked up at their box. I noticed that most of them were at least nodding. Maybe it wasn't super impressive but it might move me up a spot. Rolling off of the nets I hit the ground on my knees and stood upright. Cato was making his way over to me, looking anything but amused.

"Not bad, 12," Cato said.

"Thanks," I growled, knowing that this was going somewhere else.

"Did little Prim teach you that? Or maybe the little girl from 11? You know, she looks a lot like little Prim. Will you protect her like you would the little girl?" he asked.

I knew that he was trying to push my buttons and he knew that he was succeeding. "Get out of my damn way," I snarled.

"Maybe I'll kill her. So I can see what that does to you. I told you, we're going to be the two in the Death Match. I want to see what the Games do to you. Little Rue, Thresh, and Peeta; I'll kill them all in front of you. And then I'll kill you. Just the same as mommy and daddy died. And you won't do anything. Because you're weak."

Every one of his words was a challenge. I didn't know what came over me but I had finally had enough. No more of the Careers looking at me like I was their dinner. No more of them fighting over me like I was the last piece of steak. I would kill them. All of them. But first I had to show them that I was capable of it. Pushing Cato out of my way, he watched me as I walked over to the knife station. I knew that he was probably following me too, but I refused to acknowledge it. I marched up to the knife station and took a spot next to Clove. The girl in question turned to me, knife in hand, and laughed.

"Come to make a fool of yourself again, 12?" she asked.

Turning to Clove, I grabbed the knife from her hand. Just as she was about to tackle me to get it back I threw the light knife at full force. It sailed across my aisle, into Clove's, and let out a loud thud. The entire training room silenced itself. The thuds of the padded bats, grunts of the training Tributes, and clangs of metal weapons all fell silent. Neither Clove nor I had been watching the knife, but judging by the stony silence I knew that I had made a good hit. I knew that I'd made a good hit anyways. I always did. I looked back at the training room and saw that all eyes were on us.

Every Tribute, along with all of the trainers, and all of the Gamemakers were watching me. Clove and I finally turned back to the target and I heard a small breath leave her throat. I smiled at the hit. The years of target practice had paid off. All of my hunter skills had come in handy as well. The knife was buried in the hilt of a knife that Clove had already thrown. A knife that was sticking out of the target's heart. Moving my eyes to meet Clove's I saw that she was looking at me in pure shock. Her face mirrored every other face in the room. Even Cato was looking on in utter surprise.

None of them had been expecting me to be able to do anything with a weapon. Nevertheless be able to do something more impressive than one of the Careers. Particularly after having such a miserable first day of training. I smiled at the look on Clove's face and moved over to the moving targets. Everyone had been working with the still targets. I would be the first one to try with the moving targets. It meant that I would have to be careful. I knew that all eyes were still on me. That was exactly what I wanted. I stopped at the middle station and turned back to the racks of knives.

I grabbed a set of ten and laid them out in front of me. Grabbing two, I slammed the button to start the targets. I watched them move for a moment and laid out the grid in my head. That was how I worked. Two passed in front of me on each side about ten feet out. Then three would move behind spaced out five feet each. They were twenty feet out. In the back there was one target. Smaller than the others and forty feet out. Nodding to myself, I turned back and decided that now was my time to be a show off. I had already shown that I knew what I was doing so now I would show that it wasn't just dumb luck.

Waiting for the ten second span that the figures moved in, I took in a breath and prepared to throw. I immediately pulled the knives besides my temple and turned. Throwing both of the knives to opposite sides, without taking a moment to look for the targets, I watched as they sailed into the chests of both. Smirking I took another two knives in my hand and went to work at the target in the second row on the left side. I threw both knives at the same time and watched them sail into the eyes of the moving target. Not wasting any time, I grabbed a fifth knife and threw.

The lighter knife sailed into the forehead of the target in the middle. I took two more knives and held them in the same hand. Flicking my wrist to the side, the knives spread out as they flew to the side of the third target over. One knife stuck in the left side of the chest, and the other stuck in the right. I looked down at my set and noticed that there were three left. I picked one up and threw it into the back wall, which had a decent sized 'T' painted on it. That would make a good target. The knife landed in the crossed section of the T and stuck.

Just what I had been hoping would happen. I laughed, knowing that these walls were made of stone. My ninth knife went into the stomach of one of the front targets and I grabbed my last. I stared at the targets, wondering where to throw it. Smirking, I took a few steps back and watched the dummy in the back as it moved. I waited until I knew that it would be just where I wanted it before turning my back to the targets. I threw one leg backwards quickly and let myself flip with it. I was going straight into a front flip over myself. As I began to fall back into my original position I threw the knife.

There was a small thud from wherever the knife had landed. No matter where it was, I knew that it would be good enough. Few Tributes would have strong enough legs to move like me. I landed again with my back still to the knife-throwing station. I walked down off of the steps, not bothering to look back. I had heard the thump of the target so I knew that I had hit it. I walked up to Clove and smiled sweetly at her. The young girl's face was stone cold but I saw the shock in her eyes. She was trying not to show that I had surprised her. If I was right there was an inkling of fear as well.

"You can try to kill me," I told her, loudly enough so that all of the Careers could hear. Cato especially. "But when it comes down to it, it'll be your blood on the ground."

The one thing that I'd wanted was for the Gamemakers to hear me. Just so they knew that I meant business. I turned away and climbed off of the knife throwing platform. I looked to the side as I left and saw my knife. It was buried to the hilt in the heart of the last dummy. Walking slowly away from the knife throwing area I let my eyes travel the room. Most of the Careers were looking on with shock on their faces. They had no idea what to do. Cato was looking on with a mix of emotions. He looked like he was proud but also angered beyond belief.

Most of the other Tributes were looking on with faces ranging from shock, to fear, to jealousy, to amazement. Most looked furious. Now not only had I stolen the spotlight at the Tribute Parade but I was also almost guaranteed a high ranking for my score. Rue was looking at me like she had never seen me before. I hoped that I hadn't scared the girl off. I didn't want her to be afraid of me. Thresh was nodding at me and I nearly laughed. Leave it to him to be proud of me. Peeta was looking on at me with pure pride and I made my way over to him. We were still supposed to be together.

On my way over to him, I looked up at the Gamemakers box. All of the members were watching me with approving smiles and nods. Clearly this was the type of training that they were always hoping to see. Seneca Crane was sitting in his throne-like chair and he was nodding at me. He raised his glass to me and I couldn't help but shiver. It may have been a nice gesture but it was creepy coming from him. Then again, he could have been holding a puppy and kissing the thing and I would still find him unsettling.

Breaking eye contact with the Head Gamemaker, I walked over to where Peeta was sitting at the fire making station and dropped down beside him. "What the hell was that, Aspen?" he asked.

"I threw some knives," I said carelessly.

"That was amazing but we aren't supposed to show off our talents," he continued.

I knew that he was trying to scold me but he seemed too proud to do anything but give me a hug. I laughed at Peeta and grabbed his face. "Peeta, calm down. I know that I wasn't supposed to, but they were making me mad. You heard them. What they were saying," I said quietly.

Peeta nodded at me and grabbed my hand. "I know," he muttered.

"I don't know why I did it. Other than I was angry. Haymitch is gonna kill me," I said softly, which Peeta laughed at.

"He'll understand."

We both knew that he wouldn't. He'd kill me for my display with the knives. I shrugged my shoulders anyways. I had already shown off my skills, I may as well not hide them. I was pretty sure that I would hide the fact that I was good with a bow and arrow, which I would save for the Gamemakers. Maybe I would try with the hand-to-hand combat. It couldn't hurt. I was sure that my display with the knives would be enough to bring me up at least a couple of spots.

"Look, I'm gonna go try my luck with the hand-to-hand combat. I'll see you for lunch," I said.

"I'll give it a try, too," he said.

So he went with me. We made our way over to the station. I would go first. Most of the Tributes had gotten back to what they were doing and the Gamemakers were looking at other Tributes now. I knew that they were all watching me out of the corner of their eyes. Just waiting to see what else I had hidden up my sleeves. Hopefully I was about to show them. I stepped up to the combat station and got in the short line. It seemed that people were more focused on weapons training today. Yesterday more than half of the Tributes were here. Now I was just waiting for the female from District 7 to finish up.

Standing at the foot of the mats of the elevated platform, Peeta and I waited silently for the trainer to finish with the girl. She wasn't doing too poorly but the girl was tiny. I knew that if she tried to go into the Cornucopia she would die. There was no way that she was strong enough to fight someone off. That would be the way that most of the Tributes would die. They would get too overconfident and they would run straight for whatever looked the most appealing to them. And they would just become one more dead Tribute.

Finally the girl was thrown off balance by the trainer and she hit the mats. The trainer gave her a few tips on what she could have done differently and she thanked him. Her face was slightly red. She looked exhausted. The girl stepped off of the mats and gave me a weary look as she passed by. She must have seen the knife-throwing act. The trainer that was up on the platform gave me a nod and I stepped up, leaving Peeta behind me.

"Well, well. Aspen, am I correct?" the trainer asked.

"That's me."

He gave me a wide smile, inviting me to stand in front of him on the mats. "I saw you yesterday, you looked like a bumbling fool. Now you come out here today and throw knives better than any other Tribute I've ever seen? Not bad," he said.

"Thank you," I said, taking a fighting stance.

"No nonsense, huh? That's fine. Make your move," he said.

Nodding at the trainer, I began to circle him. I knew what he was trying to do. He wanted to show the Tributes what happened when you jumped into a fight without preparing. I would make that mistake. I watched the trainer closely, but my eye contact was broken for a moment when I noticed that Cato was standing at the edge of the platform, watching me. I focused back on the task at hand but the trainer was already in attack mode. He dashed at me but I was faster. I moved out of the way and dropped down. I extended my legs and watched as the trainer tripped over them.

By now Cato had scared Peeta off. I imagined that he didn't want to be anywhere near Cato. Not that I could blame him. I didn't want to be near him either. Standing back up, I backed away from the trainer and waited. I wasn't sure if we were supposed to be in the entire fight or if we were just going by little bits. The trainer stood slowly and laughed, beckoning me to come after him again. Taking the initiative this time I ran at him and punched him in the gut. He had been expecting it.

His abdominal muscles were tightened and his right hand had been ready. He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and threw me. I knew that I wasn't very heavy, as most of the Tributes easily outweighed me, but the ease of his toss had surprised me. I flew across the mats and landed at the edge, right underneath where Cato was standing. He was laughing at me and I was tempted to punch him. But I couldn't. I didn't want to be forced to sit out. Ignoring Cato I stood again. A slight fuzz was in my head from the impact but I shook it off.

I'd just proven that I wasn't completely useless at the knife-throwing station. I couldn't undo what I'd just managed to do in a few seconds. Not here. I would beat the man. The trainer was standing at the edge of the mat. He was waiting for me to stand again. He wouldn't have waited for me if I was in the arena. He would have attacked and I would be dead. I knew that and so did everyone else. I had to fight this guy like I really meant it. Like I was in the arena and he was about to kill me.

Imagining Cato's face in place of the trainer's, I took a fighting stance and waited. The trainer knew that I wouldn't be making the first move this time so he pushed back on the balls of his feet and ran after me. Jumping away just as he reached me, I whirled around and raised my foot, kicking him square in the back. The trainer grunted but didn't do much more than that. Normally I would have backed away and waited for his next move, but not this time. I was determined to use every move that Gale had taught me when we used to wrestle. I had made him teach me, wanting to be as tough as he was. Now I could prove it.

Running after the man, I grabbed onto his shoulders and used his stance to pull me up. I jumped onto his shoulders, like Gale had done to me once, and wrapped my legs around his neck. I used my momentum to flip us around, and drive his body into the ground. I landed roughly on top of his throat and heard his grunt. His arms swung up in a blind panic and he hit me in the face. I cried out at the impact but I refused to give up. I was in the winning position. If I gave it up now I deserved to lose. The Gamemakers were watching and I knew that I had to do everything possible to win.

Placing my knee on his chest to keep him from getting up, I flipped around so that I was sitting on him and my feet were over his wrists. He had no chance of getting up unless he could buck me off. But the man was strong and he began to do just that. He knew that it was his only chance of coming back to win the fight. I figured that this was a tap out kind of thing and he wasn't one to give up. I didn't blame him. He didn't want to be the trainer to lose to the District 12 female. That must have been embarrassing.

But I was going to win this. Raising my hand besides my face, I curled it up into a fist and drove it into the side of his head. Right at his temple. I knew that it would be the best way to get him to pass out without doing too much damage. I heard him cry out at the punch but I wasn't giving up. Hit after hit I landed on him. The entire time I was driving myself down into the mat to ensure that I wouldn't get thrown off of him. I knew that he was tired and I was too. I just had to do this a few more times. After what seemed like twenty minutes he finally tapped the mat lightly and I stopped punching.

My heart was pounding as I slipped off of his stomach and landed on my butt on the mat. Breathing heavily, both the trainer and I stood. I looked around the room and noticed that once more most of the Tributes were looking at me. Marvel was giving me an approving nod, along with Rue, Thresh, and Peeta. Glimmer was staring at me like she hoped to set me on fire. Cato was nodding at me too. There was nothing short of hunger in his eyes. I started to shake slightly at the look but I couldn't let myself falter.

Taking a few deep breaths I glanced over at the Gamemakers. Apparently my day was going better than I had expected. I smiled when I noticed that they were all nodding and talking among themselves. Hopefully they were talking about raising my rank. I had to believe that they were. They couldn't have been talking about lowering it. I walked over to the trainer and shook his hand. He had a tight grip and was bleeding slightly. He gave me a small smile and laughed. He was nicer than I'd pegged him for.

"You have no idea how long it's been since a non-Career beat me in a fight. Fifty-fifth Games. In fact, I think he was a District 12 Tribute too," the man laughed.

At his comment, my heart nearly stopped. That would have been my father. He had been tough to beat in training too. But he had still died. He might but I wouldn't. "Thank you," I said.

Steeling myself I went to leave the platform, but I was trapped by Cato. "Twelve," he said, by way of greeting.

"Two. Move," I growled.

I went to jump off of the side of the mats but Cato grabbed my arm and pulled me into him. "That was pretty impressive, 12. But I wonder if you could beat me," Cato said.

"We can't fight against each other. It's against the rules. Let go," I said.

But he wasn't having it. I tried to get him to let me go and repeat the rule that Tributes couldn't fight against one another but he wouldn't listen. He dragged me up onto the mats and released my arm, taking a spot across from me. The trainer walked up and stepped in front of Cato, but one deadly look from the Tribute and the trainer backed away. He glanced over and gave me a look that told me that he was sorry. I shrugged my shoulders. It wasn't that big of a deal. They would stop him if he was going to seriously hurt me and this would give me an insight to how he fought.

"I'll go easy on you, 12," Cato said.

I shook my head at him and got into a fighting stance. "Don't worry about it, 2," I responded.

Did it look like he was almost thrilled with the repertoire we had going? I wasn't sure. I couldn't have imagined that he enjoyed it. I thought that he hated the way that I spoke back to him. We locked eyes for a moment and the moment was all he needed. He charged at me. Thankfully I had known that he would make the first move. He was that type of person. He wouldn't wait. He had to show his dominance. He came at me and I braced myself, seeing as I didn't have enough time for anything else.

Unfortunately I could have been braced like a truck but it wouldn't have mattered. Cato hit me like a Capitol train and I went sprawling onto the ground. Thankfully he had been holding onto my shirt or I would have gone flying across the training room. I coughed desperately as the wind flew out of me but he didn't give me a chance to recover. He leaned over and hit me as hard as it seemed that he could, directly in the chest. My vision went spotty for a moment and I knew that I had to do something.

Raising my foot, I thanked Prim for making me do her weird tricks with her. They were all little things that the girls in the Hob loved to do. They strained my muscles and made my legs hurt with the strain, but I'd become much more accustomed to being flexible since she'd made me work out with her. It made me faster and I could get out of trickier holds. I threw my foot up and the boot connected with Cato's head. He jumped back and I took the opportunity to throw my elbow out and hit him in the face.

It was just enough to get him to let go of me. I took a breath and got up to run but Cato was faster than I thought he was. The weight obviously didn't slow him down that much. He grabbed my foot and pulled it out. With nothing to grab onto, I fell and hit the mats on my stomach. I rolled over just in time to see Cato come jumping down at me with a fist out. Panicking at the sight I did the first thing that I could think of. I threw my leg up again and felt his face hit the boot. I rolled away from the bigger Tribute and stood on shaky feet. I was tired. This had to end soon.

Not taking a moment to recover I ran after Cato and jumped onto his back, pushing the both of us forward. There might have been some chance that I could beat him. He must have been disoriented from the hit as he fell forward and hit the mats. I threw a few punches at the back of his head but I started to slide off of him as he flipped over. I knew that I would have to fight dirty so I grabbed the back of his head, bunching up his hair and putting my other arm over his throat. He growled at the pain and pulled his arm back.

At the angle that I was hanging on with he couldn't grab me. He was too far away and his arms weren't quite long enough. I nearly laughed. I would have if I'd had more air in my lungs. I might actually win this fight. I tightened my hold on him and as his swings became smaller I knew that he was losing air. He would pass out soon. My ranking was destined to go up now. But just as I thought that, he managed to grab my leg and pull me off of him. I hit the ground, head first, and cried out at the pain. That had hurt far more than I'd been expecting.

He didn't care and I knew it. He was furious that he had almost been beaten by a District 12 Tribute. My vision was still fuzzy as Cato regained control of the fight. Cato grabbed me by the hair and slammed my head down onto the mats. Time after time he hit me and caused more damage. I felt bad for the trainer. I had done this to him earlier. Now I knew how damn badly this hurt. As my vision began to fade to black I felt the hits stop. I knew that I was being raised up from the ground. I blinked at the light and saw that Cato was holding me up.

"Not bad, 12. Better than I thought you'd be," he said.

I'd been so close. I had actually been holding my own for a while there. If we'd had weapons I might have been able to do something about it. Or maybe it would have been worse. If he'd had a sword I was sure that he could have cut me down in a matter of seconds. But when we were hand-to-hand I had nearly gotten him to pass out. Hopefully the Gamemakers would see that part of the fight and not the fact that I had lost. Cato was holding me tightly by the waist and I could have sworn that I was burning from his touch. Unnerved by the sensation, I pushed him roughly off of me and stumbled slightly.

Unfortunately I hadn't realized that he was holding me up. I swayed for a few moments but I was determined not to let him know that I had been relying on him to stand. He would never be my crutch. I rolled my eyes at him and walked off of the platform. Peeta was waiting for me at the edge with a cup of water. I thanked him and took the water, quickly downing it. I walked over to the trash can in the corner and tossed the cup. A Peacekeeper was standing there, seemingly waiting for me. I raised my eyebrows at him, wondering what the man wanted.

"Miss Antaeus, would you like us to take a look at you?" he asked.

Glancing over to the mirror I gave myself a once over. There was some blood dripping down my nose and my hair was ruffled, pulled mostly out of its ponytail. But with the water in me and away from the fighting, I felt much better. I shook my head at the Peacekeeper and he nodded, walking away from me. Moving in front of the mirror, I wiped the blood off of my face, splashing it with some water. I ruffled my hair, flattening it and pulling it back up in its place. I still looked like I hadn't slept in a week but I looked better than I just had.

Running my hands through my hair, I sighed and walked away from the corner of the training room. I glanced around and saw that Cato was surrounded by his Careers. Glimmer was all over him, worrying over nothing. I laughed at her. I had never flirted before but even I knew that wasn't the way to do it. Marvel was asking Cato about his fighting skills. I was shocked to see that Cato was answering like a normal human being. Clove was laughing with Cato and I couldn't help but wonder if they knew each other. Maybe they were even friends. Coral was standing quietly, only answering when she was asked a question. The girl was quiet, but I knew why. She wasn't as talented as most Careers and she knew that she was expendable. She was smart to stay quiet.

Peeta was over at the shelter making station and I made my way over to him. But just as I was crossing the middle of the training room the bell for lunch went off. I rolled my eyes and turned on my heel, heading to the dining room. I filed in line after the female from District 6. The line quickly went through and when it was my turn I looked at what was being served. I asked for the chicken, peas, and a small salad. The woman put the food on my plate and I quietly thanked her. I wasn't even sure if she could hear me over the Careers. I took my spot with my food and sat down at a table by myself.

My eyes traveled over the chicken and my mouth began to water. I was starving. I tore into the chicken and smiled at the flavor. It tasted so good. I was shocked that the Capitol didn't produce more of it. Although they seemed to be more for beef. It was the Districts that relied more on chicken and fish. Probably because those were cheaper to produce. I dropped the chicken and went to grab my water before noticing that I hadn't grabbed any. I rolled my eyes at myself and went to grab a cup as Peeta joined me. Before I stood up I realized that it was silent in the room. Not even the Careers could be heard.

What the hell had happened that had made even the Careers lose their confidence? Turning from my seat I looked up and saw that the Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane, was standing in line to get his lunch. He was eating here? Why didn't he eat up in the box with the rest of the Gamemakers? Looking around at the rest of Tributes, it was clear that everyone was unnerved with him being here. Even the Careers were keeping quiet and keeping their distance from him. I didn't blame them. He was the one that could kill you in the Games. Even if you were the best.

One little click of a button and he could blow you sky high. The man thanked the woman for his meal and he began to walk back through the lunch area. He looked over most of the Tributes, mostly everyone looking down when he met their eyes. And finally he met mine. But I didn't look away. I gave him a dark glare instead. I knew that I shouldn't have but I couldn't help myself. He might not have killed my parents but people like him had. They were the reason that I had no family. Seneca Crane walked by slowly and stopped, to my horror, right in front of me.

Now I was really regretting have looked him in the eye just moments before. I should have looked away. He was now going to tell me that I was going to be the first person that he would kill in the arena. I wanted to cry, run, pass out, or maybe even kill him. But I did none of those things. Instead I stared at him with a blank face. He set his tray down on my table, reaching past me, and coming dangerously close to rubbing against me. He straightened himself back up and smiled at me.

"Aspen Antaeus," he greeted.

"Mr. Crane," I said awkwardly.

"Just Seneca, please." I nodded nervously. "The girl that's full of surprises. Not many people surprise me but you are one of them. I hope you can do more," Seneca said, with a creepy smile. I nodded at him like a moron. "I do look forward to spending more time watching you, Miss Antaeus. You... intrigue me."

He was waiting for me to say something but I didn't know what. Should I thank or slap him? What had he even meant? Gritting my teeth, I gave him a smile so insincere that I thought I might explode. "Thank you," I said softly.

Thankfully he didn't say anything else. I wasn't sure that I could tolerate a conversation with him much longer. He smiled at me and nodded. He grabbed his plate as he walked by, bidding a goodbye to the Peacekeepers that were keeping watch over us. As the doors closed behind him, I let out a huge breath and dropped back down into my seat. For the third time that day all eyes were on me. Peeta sat down a moment later, as he had awkwardly left when Seneca came over, and handed me a cup of water. I thanked him and kept my eyes directed at my food.

Slowly the chatter rose again, but not to the level it had been at before. The Careers were talking among themselves. They were definitely quieter than they had been before. They seemed to be more than a little curious about what had just happened. I was curious too. As far as I knew the Head Gamemaker never actually spoke to the Tributes. Not until one of them was a Victor. There were some other Tributes that were talking too. They were just talking with their District partners or trying to make an alliance before training was over. After this we would hardly have time to talk with one another.

After this there was only a few more times that we would all see each other before the actual Games started. Tomorrow morning was another day of training. There was when we would be held, waiting to show the Gamemakers what we were capable of. And then there would be the time before we went to the Interviews. But that wouldn't be long. There would also be the few minutes that we were on the hovercraft and heading to the arena. But I was pretty sure that we weren't allowed to talk while we were on our way. I had no idea why.

It seemed like hours had passed before the bell finally rang again and we were dismissed to go back to the training room. To my surprise I was actually very glad to be back in the training room. I wanted to do something other than sit here and think. I needed to do something. I jumped up and tossed my tray, quickly exiting the room. Part of me wanted to look up to the Gamemakers area to see if Seneca Crane was up there but I resisted that temptation. I looked around at the room for a moment, trying to decide what to do. Peeta came up besides me and I weakly smiled at him.

"I'm gonna go do the ropes course. Wanna come?" he asked.

"Sure."

The two of us walked over to the rope courses. "I'll try my luck," he said, motioning to the one I had fallen off of yesterday.

"You go do that rope course. I'm gonna hang over here. Do the jumping platforms. I've already done that one," I said.

"Good luck," Peeta said.

"You too."

The two of us got in line for our respective courses. There were only two people ahead of him so he should be up pretty fast. I made my way over to the platforms and quickly climbed to the top. They were thin, steel, platforms, that were all painted brown. They were about the width of a foot and slightly rounded. It was to see if we would be able to jump from tree to tree in the arena. It was probably good balance practice. I jumped from the wide steel platform onto the first branch and wobbled for a moment. I grabbed onto the fake tree trunk to steady myself and took a deep breath.

Heights had never made me nervous but I did find myself a little afraid being up this high. These platforms were smaller and more slippery than I had originally thought that they were. I came very close to collapsing off of the side of it. Luckily there was a net below the platforms that would catch the Tributes if they were to fall. At least I wouldn't die from a fall. Steeling myself I took a deep breath and pushed off of the branch that I was standing on. I landed on the next one and wobbled again.

But just like the first I grabbed onto the trunk and steadied myself. I looked off to the side and caught Rue running across the branches. The girl didn't stop for anything. In fact, it barely looked like she touched one branch before she was off to the next. I smiled at her and looked to my next branch. It was further but I was still confident that I could make it. I got into a high squatting position and took a leap off of my branch. To my shock I landed steadily on the branch and stopped. I was in perfect view of the rope course that Peeta was on.

Even though he had said that he would do the same one that I had just done I saw that he hadn't. There must have been a line for the one that I had been doing. I couldn't see why. If you fell it was straight in the water that you went. And it was incredibly embarrassing. He wasn't doing the same rope course that I had been on before but it was similar. It wasn't as high up and it only had padded mats on the bottom, instead of water. Maybe that one would have been better for me to do.

Shaking my head, I watched as Peeta was called to run. Similarly to the way that I had run he made it through the beginning pretty fast. He had a few stumbles but he was in and out quickly. Then it was the ropes. I knew that he would have to be fast. He had a lot more weight to pull him down. He would get tired faster. It was the same problem that I had seen Cato have on these things. Although he had made it out. I watched as Peeta climbed through the nets, the same way that I had done it. I grimaced as it became obvious that he was having trouble with this.

At every net he would get tangled up and now I could see that his arms were shaking. He was getting tired. I hopped down off of my branch through the back where there was no net and hit the ground in a crouch. The tree was only about twenty-five feet off of the ground so it wasn't that bad. The shock still went through my feet and I grimaced at the pain. Standing back up, I walked over to where Peeta was on the platform. As quickly as I had made my way over to him, his arms gave out and he fell. There was a loud thud as he hit the ground and I jumped at the impact. He looked dazed and in a little bit of pain.

A loud gasp escaped my mouth. Maybe the water was a little better of an idea. Peeta looked like he had just been struck by a Capitol train. I felt terribly for him. It would do to him the same thing that my fall did to me yesterday. The Careers were laughing over by the weapons rack and I shook my head at them. Like they had never fallen or gotten scratched. I ran over to Peeta and dropped down at his side. He was leaning up and I sat by him, giving him a hand up.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I'm alright."

He looked incredibly embarrassed. I knew how he felt. I looked over at the laughing Careers and shook my head. They were all standing with their arms crossed, looking at Peeta like they were planning his death. And I couldn't let that happen. I knew what he had to do. I looked around the room before laying my eyes on it. The weights area. I had seen Cato there earlier that day. There was the one metal thing there that I had seen most of the Tributes struggle with. It had to be at least one hundred pounds. But I knew that Peeta could lift it.

"Throw that metal thing over there," I said, pointing to it.

Peeta looked at me like I was crazy. He shook his head wildly at me. "What? No. Haymitch says we're not supposed to show -" Peeta started, before I cut him off.

"I don't care what Haymitch said. Those guys are looking at you like you're a meal. They were looking at me the same way before I went over to the knife station. Throw it," I demanded.

Peeta had saved my life and now I was going to return the favor. Peeta nodded at me and slowly got up. He was walking with a small limp from the impact of his fall. Peeta finally reached the weights area and picked up the heavy weight. As it fell from its holster Peeta fell to the side with it. I closed my eyes tightly, hoping that I wasn't about to make him look a fool. All of the Careers were pointing and laughing, clearly making him angry. He picked up the weight and spun around with it twice before releasing. The weight flew across the room and slammed into the spear rack, crushing it and sending the spears flying.

The Careers all stood in silence, watching Peeta in shock. I nodded at him and patted him on the back as he walked back yo me. I looked up and saw that the Gamemakers were watching Peeta with small smiles on their faces. He might be able to raise his rank too. I watched as he walked over to the camouflage station and I shook my head at him when he looked back at me. That was nothing more than something for me to make a fool out of myself with. And I had done enough of that yesterday. Peeta nodded as I made my way over to the knife station, where Clove had been planted all day.

I grabbed the heavier-weighted knives and took a spot next to her. I didn't know what kind of knives I would be able to pick up while we were in the arena so I figured that I might as well take some time and train with them all. The only ones I had back home in District 12 were lightweight. Mr. Everdeen had bought them for me before he'd died and I had spent a long time perfecting my skill with them. My bow had been shared between my mother and father so I was much more careful with them.

Laying the knives out in front of me I looked over at Clove and saw how tense she was. How could she throw like that? I stood in front of the still target and took a deep breath. I raised the knife by the blade and held it out in front of me. Clove snorted besides me but I ignored it. Little did she know that this was a great way to throw a knife too. Pulling my hand back, I threw the knife quickly and watched it sail through the air. It landed just below the middle of the heart of the dummy. Not exactly where I wanted it, but I wasn't very seasoned with heavier knives.

Grabbing the second knife, I raised it to the side of my face and threw. It didn't go where I wanted it to either, but I was closer. It was just below the heart of the dummy again. I'd only missed by about an inch. Picking up my third knife, I aimed slightly higher and threw. This time it sunk into the heart of the dummy. I smiled at the thing and hit the button for the dummy to come back to me so I could safely get the knives out. As I waited for the dummy to return to me, I turned to Clove.

"You're not too bad, 12," she said.

She had been watching me the entire time. The dummy arrived in front of me and I pulled the knives out. "Thanks," I said.

I walked over to the knife rack and grabbed a few lighter weighted knives. These I was much more familiar with. I sent the dummy out thirty feet and waited for it to get to its spot. Raising two of the knives, I threw them, both landing in the eyes of the target. I smiled at the knives and went back to the rack. I put the knives back into their spot and walked back over to my station. Picking up another knife, I tossed it in my hand for a few minutes before throwing it without aiming. I had done better than I'd expected. I was never very good at that before, but this one had landed in the stomach of the dummy.

Clove threw her knife too and it easily hit the heart of the dummy. We were both good but I was fancier about it. Maybe I would get a few style points in the judging. It was wishful thinking. "You know," Clove said as she spun a knife. I threw another of mine and watched as it sailed into the heart of my dummy before turning to her. "You're pretty good for someone from District 12. How did you learn to do that?"

I debated for a moment on what I should do. I could lie and tell her that I liked to spin the kitchen knives in my house. That was true, but I hadn't done it in a long time. I could just ignore her, but I felt like that probably wasn't a good idea. That might make her hate me even more and that wasn't what I needed. No enemies before going into the arena would be a good thing for me. I could tell her the truth. What could it hurt? She would either believe me or she wouldn't. As long as I didn't say the names of my friends, they could only get me. And it was too late for that.

Taking in a breath, I threw another knife. It sailed across the throwing area and landed in the forehead of the dummy. I turned to Clove and watched as she set down her knife. "My parents both died when I was young, but I'm sure you knew that. I had to get food and money for myself somehow. After I was old enough to learn how to hunt, I did. Some friends and their parents taught me how. I was always gifted with knife throwing, so that was how I hunted. I guess it comes in handy," I explained.

Clove nodded at me for a few moments before looking down at her stand. She picked up a knife and I did as well. Both of us pulled our hands back at the same time and threw them. Both knives sailed through the air at the same time and landed in the same spots. Clove's knife landed in her dummy's heart, and mine landed in the handle of the knife that was sticking out of the heart of my dummy. She smirked at me and laughed. I was almost positive that she couldn't do it.

"Not bad, 12. Maybe even Career worthy," Clove said.

I perked up at the words. "Thanks," I said.

She looked at me for a moment before turning back to her target. I brought my dummy forward again and pulled the knives out. I let the dummy sit at the front of the throwing station and walked away from the platform, knives in hand. I put them back up on the rack and shook my neck out. Glancing around the room, I found that Peeta was still over by the camouflage station. It looked like he was painting his arm. I got curious at the sight and I walked over to him.

"Hi," I said, walking over him.

He was painting what looked to be the bark of a tree,and it was amazing. I would have thought that the trainer had done it for him had I not seen him painting it himself. "Hey," he said, looking up at me with a smile.

I looked at his arm, which he was blatantly ignoring now that I was over with him. "How did you do that?" I asked, pointing down at his arm.

He seemed to have forgotten about if for a moment before he looked back down at his arm and his eyes widened. It made me smile. I'd never realized just how sweet the baker's boy was. I'd usually just through that he was entitled but still had a good heart. He was genuinely a good man. Peeta looked at me like he was almost ashamed at what he had done. I gave him a small smile, hoping that he would realize that I thought it was amazing. I could have never done something like that. Had I done the same thing, it would have looked like a pile of poo.

"I uh... I used to take care of the cakes down at the bakery," he said.

I nodded at him. I had seen the cakes. They always looked so amazing that I couldn't have imagined anyone ever eating one of them. I had never known that it was Peeta who decorated them. They were always decorated with sweet pastel colors that echoed through the front of the shop. They were usually just for birthdays and holidays. It was something that I could never afford. But Katniss and I had brought Prim by just to look at them. Who would we have been to keep her from such a simple joy? Now I wondered if anyone was around to do Peeta's job or if there would be no more cakes.

"They always looked so good," I said.

"Thanks."

"But I couldn't afford them," I muttered.

"If you get back you'll have to promise me to try one. I never got to. My mother wouldn't let me try them. People said that they were good but I never got to find out," he said.

My lips turned down in a frown. His mother was a nasty woman. He was such a good man. Here he was, talking about what he wanted me to do in the event that it was him who died and me who won. I momentarily forgot about game play and about his potential strategy to make me weaker to him.

"I promise," I whispered.

"I'll show you. See?" Peeta asked, raised his arm up to the tree.

It vanished completely. I looked on at him with wonder in my eyes. "Wow," I breathed out quietly.

Peeta smiled at me, knowing how he had entranced me. "Yeah," he added.

Ignoring the itching in the back of my head that told me that I should be training, I merely sat down next to him and watched as he continued to decorate his arm. All the while he was telling me stories about the cakes that he had decorated at the bakery. To anyone else it probably would have been boring, but the way that he told them, they were fascinating. I knew that the bakery was truly where his passion was. Not just because his family owned it. Peeta finally looked up, ready to wash his arm off when he looked over to the edge of the training room and smiled.

"I think you have a shadow," he said.

I looked up and saw that Rue was standing in the corner of the room. I gave her a quick smile, which she returned before ducking back into the trees. I laughed quietly and turned to Peeta. I was about to ask him where he wanted to go when I heard Atala shouting at us from the corner of the room. She was at the Gauntlet, yelling at us all that it was time for the last compulsory exercise. I rolled my eyes and pulled Peeta with me. Unless we came to the non-mandatory morning training tomorrow, this was the last thing that we would get to do in here before we performed for the Gamemakers.

Peeta and I walked over to the line for the Gauntlet. We were at the end. I watched as Atala explained the rules. We would run once the buzzer went off. We were disqualified if we ran beforehand. The entire thing was platforms that were on different height levels that we would jump from, all the while avoiding the trainers that were swinging padded bats at us. If we were hit, there was an extra ten seconds added to our time. If we fell, an extra twenty seconds was tacked on.

Coral was the first person to go. She was fast,but she was hit twice. Clove ran after and she was fast too. But she wasn't as light footed. She slipped and fell once, clearly angry as she cursed at the rest of the course. Marvel ran after her and he wasn't very fast. But he made it through the entire course without falling or getting hurt. Finch went after him and she was in and out of the course in the blink of an eye. She was hit one time but it barely made a difference. She was the fastest time by far. She was almost five seconds ahead of Coral's time. She would be trouble to catch in the arena.

A few other Tributes went through and they were all proven to be about average, all making up the middle of the pack. They would be many of the ones to die in the Bloodbath. Strong but not strong enough to make it through the hard fighting. Glimmer ran next and she was hit once and also fell once. I couldn't help but to laugh at the girl. It was hilarious. She had landed upside down and looked stunned. Both Cato and I had practically been on our asses laughing.

Cato had run after her,and he was faster than I had expected. He had avoided all of the bats too. When I looked at the clock I saw that he had just barely beat Finch's time. Only by a tenth of a second. Just because he hadn't gotten hit. He was now in first place. Rue went next and she was fast, hopping from platform to platform. But she was hit once. Thresh went next and he was pretty fast as well. But he grabbed a bat and pulled it from the trainer. He was given a hit for that. Peeta was next and he had stumbled through the course. But luckily he was only hit once. Although he did fall at the end.

Finally it was my turn. I walked up to the starting platform and nodded at Atala when she asked if I was ready. Getting into a running position, I looked ahead and watched the first trainer. She swung late, hoping that she could catch you off guard. I ran at the sound of the buzzer and jumped to the first platform that was slightly raised. I jumped past the trainer, just barely missing the bat. I'd slid forward on my knees and I felt a slight stinging from the motion.

Getting back to my feet I jumped from platform to platform. I hit every one, not missing a beat. I was finally at the last platform where the trainer was swinging the bat hard. That was where most of the Tributes had messed up. I ran ahead as fast as I could and made the jump. Just as I hit the platform where the trainer was I ducked under the bat, which missed me by a hair. I dashed over the next four thin platforms and jumped to the final one, doing a tuck and roll as I hit it. It hadn't been for show. I had just been about to fall.

Atala called time and I looked up to the giant stopwatch. Here's hoping that it was a fast time. It was what I needed if I really wanted my chances of winning the Games to spike. I smiled at the time when I saw it. I had come in just over a second before Cato. It meant that I was in first place. My smile quickly faded though, the moment that I saw Cato's face. He looked like he was about to come over here and rip my spine out. I gulped and walked over to Peeta, who was congratulating me. I thanked him and listened as Atala dismissed us.

The bell rang and I headed out of the doors. I was seriously hoping that we could beat the Careers into the elevator. I had Peeta hang back with me, waiting for the first two groups of Tributes to get to the elevators. Now I hoped that all of the Tributes besides us were gone when I finally hit the button. Climbing into the elevator with Peeta, the doors were about to close when a hand stuck its way though. I watched as the doors open and I gulped hard. It was Cato and Clove. Both Careers moved into the elevator and Cato stood in front of me.

"That was good, 12. I'm sure that they liked you. But you know what you did? You made yourself a threat. You ready for that? No, you're not. You can't even take an insult about dear old mommy and daddy. Someone will use that against you out there and you'll attack. But they know what you'll do and they'll be ready. They'll kill you and you'll be a failure. Just like they were," Cato said.

There was no way that he was right. I was not going to let him be right about me. I wasn't weak and I wasn't going to let anyone kill me. Particularly not him. I went to yell at him but he brought his fist down at me. I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking that he was going to hit me, but he merely hit the back of the elevator. I jumped at the noise before slowly opening my eyes. He knew that he had scared me. Cato was directly in front of my face and he was smirking at me.

"I'll see you tomorrow, 12," he said, his breath fanning over my face.

He and Clove stepped out of the elevator and I dropped against the glass backing as the doors slid shut. As the elevator began to move again Peeta walked over to me, looking like he was about to ask if I was okay. No, I was not okay. I shook my head at him, telling him that I didn't want to talk. Peeta nodded and the two of us waited to make it to the penthouse in silence. After what seemed like an eternity, I heard the doors ding open and I stepped out of the elevator. Peeta moved out after me and we walked over to the table where Effie and Haymitch were sitting, talking quietly.

Both of them saw us and smiled slightly. "Had a good day Aspen?" Haymitch asked, with knowing eyes.

I smiled at him weakly. "Couldn't have been much worse," I said.

He nodded at me, almost as if he was proud. "Why don't you two go shower?" he offered.

That wasn't the chewing out that I had been expecting. We both nodded and walked into our rooms. I barely waited for the door to slide shut to my room before slipping off my training clothes. I walked over to the dresser and pulled open the door. I wasn't in the mood to let the closet decide what I was going to wear. All I knew was that I wanted to be comfortable. There had been far too much discomfort for me for one day. There was a small white tank top sitting on the top of the pile and I grabbed it. Reaching down into the dresser I found a pair of black leggings, and pulled them out too.

Before walking into the bathroom I grabbed a fresh pair of underwear and a bra. I moved to close the dresser and walk over to the bathroom. Quickly hopping in, I turned the water on and stepped into the stream. I washed myself off and washed out my hair, making sure to get all of the sweat off of me and the grease out of my hair. I wanted nothing more to get out to the living room and find out where my rank was now.

Shutting the water off as I washed off the rest of the body wash, I stepped onto the automatic drying platform. I let the warm air dry me off and smiled at the warming feeling. I had been cold all day and it was nice to finally be warm and feel some form of comfort. If I got back to District 12 I really hoped that I could have one of those drying plates in my house in Victor's Village. I grabbed my clothes and pulled them on before quickly walking out of my room and into the dining room.

It seemed that I wasn't the only one that was anxious to see if I had proved myself today. Peeta was already out of his room and sitting at the table. I walked over and took my seat, beginning to eat my food. Only about two minutes into the meal, I heard the Panem anthem begin to play and I turned around. Caesar greeted all of the viewers quickly and went on to discuss the rumors that had been heard from the training room. The top story was my knife throwing tricks. As they went into the story I turned to Haymitch, giving him a guilty smile.

He chuckled softly and I turned back to the television. I had gotten off of the hook. Caesar went on to report the rest of the news before the rankings finally appeared. There was a large 2 in the background, so I knew that Cato was still in first place. I looked at the twelfth spot and saw that my name was not there or anywhere below it. I smiled as I looked up. When I finally caught the spot where my name was, my mouth dropped. I was in the fourth spot. Cato, Thresh, and Marvel were above me. Cato was clearly the best Tribute and Thresh was huge. Marvel was still a Career and he was amazing with a spear.

But I was up there too now. My Mentor and Escort were both cheering for me and babbling incessantly as Peeta leaned over and gave me a tight hug. I laughed and looked back at the screen. He was in the eighth spot again. It wasn't bad for a District 12 Tribute. I gave him another hug and the two of us shared a drink of whatever the blue liquid was that was on the table. It didn't make my head spin so I liked it more than the wine. Effie had told us the other day that it was for celebrating and this seemed like a good moment.

As we finished the drink, Haymitch turned the television off and gathered our attention. "Alright, this is good. But it isn't the final rankings. There's still one more thing you have to do to prove how good you both really are. Tomorrow they'll bring you in one by one and evaluate you. This is important because high ratings will mean Sponsors. This is the time to show them everything. There'll be a bow and knives, make sure you use them," Haymitch told me and I nodded at him. "Peeta, you make sure to show your strength. They'll start with District 1, so the two of you will go last. Not on my house to put this, but make sure they remember you."

Making sure that they could remember us. I was sure that I could do something like that. Maybe tomorrow morning I would think about the many things that I could do with a knife. I was definitely skilled. And my bow and arrow skills would come as a little bit of a surprise. Was that enough to surprise them and make them remember me? I would have to wait and see. We both nodded at him and prepared to stand up. But before we could make our way back to our rooms Haymitch called us back to the table.

"You both heard about how there were issues with the arena this year, correct?" Haymitch asked.

"Yeah," Peeta and I said together.

We were staring at him confusedly. He sighed before nodding to us. "It's true this year. They won't have it finished in time," Haymitch said.

"No Games?" Peeta asked.

I didn't miss the tone of excitement he had. "No. The Games are still on. They need one more day to get the arena just right," Haymitch explained.

I looked at Haymitch in shock. This had never happened before. Why were they having that much trouble with the arena? "Is the arena that extreme?" I asked.

"I don't know exactly what's going on with the arena. They won't tell anyone that isn't strictly involved. What I do know is that they aren't just going to use that day to let you sit on your asses. Like I said, tomorrow will be the scores. Normally the day after would be the Interviews. This year President Snow will be holding a party right in his own home. All Tributes are to come," Haymitch said. I went to argue but Haymitch was one step ahead of me. He raised a hand at me. "I knew that you would have something to say. I know that you don't want to do this but it will be good for you. You'll get to walk around with the Sponsors. You get to show them, tell them, why they should support you. This could be a great opportunity for you both."

Every fiber of my being didn't like the idea of the party, but he was right. This could make us look amazing. We could get the chance to make a difference in our Games. This was our chance to get ahead of the Careers in Sponsors. This party could be the difference between dying of dehydration and living to the end. I nodded at Haymitch along with Peeta. Our Mentor looked relieved as he dismissed us. We both bade him, and each other, a quick goodnight before retreating to our rooms. As I walked into my room, I sunk into the bed and stared at my ceiling.

It had been a long day and I was tired, but now I had all new things screaming at me. I had to do well when I showed Gamemakers what I was made of. I had to show them that today was more than a fluke. I sighed and settled into the bed. There was no use being paranoid about it. I would just try to enjoy the extra day that I had before I was sent to fight for my life. As I closed my eyes, images of Seneca Crane praising me at the table flooded my mind.

Before now I hadn't been given much time to think about it. Training and the news of the Games delay had kept my mind occupied. But now I realized just how strange it was that he had talked to me in general. Gamemakers never talked to Tributes. Definitely not to District 12 Tributes. Why had he been so keen to see what I could do? Why not the Careers? Or Thresh? They were still more likely to win, no matter what the rankings said. Anyone could see that. The Head Gamemakers' eyes were on me. That much I knew. The only question was, was it a good thing or a bad thing?


	7. Chapter Seven

The fast slice of a blade woke me roughly from my bed. Yelling loudly at the all-too-real feeling of pain in the dream, I flew from the bed and hit the ground hard. That had definitely hurt more than I had been expecting. I'd been hoping that my nightmares would be more of the jump-starts, like the times when I dreamed that I was falling for hours only to wake up right before hitting the ground and becoming a human pancake. Groaning from the pain of my fall, I stood from the floor and rubbed where I had hit my tailbone.

That had been the third nightmare that I'd had all night. The first two had been of Peeta and me, and both had been similar. Throughout the Games I had been trying to protect him and make sure that he was the one that won the Games. I wanted to make sure that he got to go home and prove his mother wrong. We had been together the entire time, but just as we hit the final three Cato had come out of the bushes and snapped Peeta's neck like it was nothing. My District partner's body had dropped to the ground, and just as Cato was advancing on me with a bloody sword in hand, I'd awoken in a sweat.

It had taken nearly an hour after that for me to fall asleep again. This time, it was just me against the Careers. I had wished more than anything that Peeta was back with me. I didn't like being in the dream by myself. The timer counted down and I ran like a bat out of hell away from the Cornucopia. But they had followed and taken chase after me. The entire time they were close on my tail. It seemed like they were chasing me for damn near an hour before I finally hit a root and fell. Glimmer had been the first to drop to my side. Taking an arrow, she slid it into my shoulder and gave it a hard twist. Naturally she started it.

Coral was next and she drew a trident into my thigh. I was in excruciating pain but I refused to scream. I refused for them to know that they were destroying me. Marvel approached me after and slammed his spear into my lower stomach. That time I did scream. It felt real. Clove was next. She threw small knives into my knees. Then it was Cato's turn. He shooed away the rest of the Careers, leaving only us. He drew a small sword and cut my clothes from my body. With my body exposed to him, he took his sword and drew patterns in blood across my body. The entire time he was muttering about how I deserved it.

The torture had gone on forever before he finally took the sword and drove it into my heart. I had woken with a start, screaming. Luckily these doors were thick. No one heard me. I walked into the bathroom, shaking from the dream. Looking myself over in the mirror, I saw the light circles under my eyes. They weren't as bad as they had been yesterday but I still looked like I'd seen a ghost. I was pale white and shimmering in a film of sweat. Stripping my clothes off, I stepped into the shower and let the water travel over my body. Washing my hair quickly, I lifted up the ends. The red had finally washed out of my hair.

Some part of me almost missed it. Maybe it was because it made me feel like I fit in here which made me feel like a Victor already. I couldn't help but wonder if Cinna would redo it for the party. Stepping out of the shower, I stood on the drying platform and waited for both my body and hair to dry. Once they finally had I pulled on the training outfit and the boots. I looked myself over in the mirror and sighed. This would be the last time that I would ever wear this outfit. Tonight would be the night where I would find out just how good the Gamemakers thought that I was. Come tomorrow, there would be the party.

It would either be great or mortifying. I would have to socialize with the Sponsors and hopefully be able to avoid the Gamemakers, President Snow, and Cato. But that was wishful thinking. After that was the Interviews. Hopefully I would be able to make it the entire night without insulting the Capitol or President Snow. The good thing was that Caesar Flickerman was amazing at his job. No matter what the Tribute said, he could make them look like Victor material. I guess that was why I didn't completely hate him. Then the next day was the Games. What could very well be the last day of my life.

Pulling my hair into a braid, similar to the way that Katniss wore hers, I walked out into the living room. Peeta was already there, leaned over his food. He looked like he had been up all night. I didn't blame him. It was common knowledge that the closer you got to the start of the Games, the more likely you were to have nightmares. I sat down at the table across from him and grabbed a plate. I lifted some eggs and bacon onto my plate, along with a slice of bread. I laid one side of my head on my plate and made it a plan to eat as slow as possible.

Unfortunately I knew that I would go last today. Who knew how long everyone else would take to present for the Gamemakers. If I took long enough, maybe I would be able to wait here and not have to deal with Cato or any of the other Careers this morning. Naturally Effie began to rush us to finish our food. I rolled my eyes at her and had to bite back a nasty remark. Still I began to shovel my food into my mouth. It wouldn't help if I was tired and weak in my last chance to impress the Gamemakers. Peeta looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Bad dreams?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, shoveling the rest of my eggs into my mouth.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, thanks."

Trying not to meet his gaze, I gulped down my milk. Peeta was a nice guy and that was what made this harder. I wished that he was an asshole that I would take pleasure in killing. He looked down at his plate and I almost felt bad for brushing him off, but there wasn't anything that I wanted to talk about this morning. Or ever. I knew that we were getting too close. As I finished off my food and went to stand, Haymitch held his hand up and motioned both Peeta and I over to him.

"All right, you both know what's about to happen. You'll be the last two Tributes called in, Aspen you'll be last. The Gamemakers will be bored, tired, and drunk by then. Trust me. You've got to do something to impress them. Anyways, do what you do best, and do it better than you ever have. Take a risk, do something that they haven't seen. Make them look at you," he said, repeating his advice from last night. We both nodded at Haymitch and walked to the elevators.

Just as the doors were sliding open, I heard Effie call one last thing to us. "And good luck!" she chirped.

It was typical that she was the one that told us good luck while Haymitch only nit-picked at us and told us that many things that we weren't supposed to be going. I looked back as we entered the elevator and saw that both Haymitch and Effie were waving at us. I waved back to the both of them and sighed as the doors closed, leaving Peeta and me in the elevator together. Hopefully we were late enough that none of the other Tributes would be getting into the elevator with us. I'd had my fair share of awkward elevator rides.

As we descended the floors I let my mind wander to what I should show the Gamemakers when it was my turn to go in. Definitely the knives. They were why I was fourth in the running right now. I'd have to change it up or find something new. Something that they hadn't seen. Maybe I would use the bow and arrows too. I wasn't as good as Katniss was with it, but as far as I could tell I was better than the rest of the Tributes. But still, two things didn't seem like enough to show them. Maybe I would try some hand-to-hand combat as well. If it was the same trainer I knew that I would be able to beat him.

That was the perfect plan. I would do hand-to-hand first. They knew that I could do that, but it was different every time. The trainer would likely already been used for the other Tributes. Hopefully he would be tired. That way I could beat him fast. After that I would go over to the bow and arrow station. I wouldn't show off. I'd just show that I was able to hit a target. After that I would head over to the knives. I knew I would be able to show off with them. Nodding at my own plan, the doors to the sub level opened and we walked out.

Today there were chairs set along the doors of the training room. The doors were closed today. They were usually open during training hours. There were twelve seats on each side. One side was for Districts 1 through 6. The other side of the hallway was for Districts 7 through 12. The female for District 12 was the second to last seat on the left side and so I took my spot. Peeta quickly joined me, taking the empty seat next to me. I looked over and saw that Rue was next to Thresh on my other side. She was leaning slightly into him and her feet didn't touch the ground. I smiled at her. She looked to innocent to be here.

A loud cry came from the front of the hallway and I looked up in a slight panic. I had to calm down. We weren't even in the arena yet. It turned out that nothing was wrong. It was just my least favorite Tribute. Maybe second to least favorite. Glimmer was laughing as loud and obnoxiously as possible at something that Cato had said. Knowing the large Tribute I could assume that it was something about the many ways that he could disembowel me.

The man in question was standing in front of her chair, just out of her reach. I shook my head at the stupid Tribute. What did she think she was doing? Only one of us came out of this. Why try to make a romantic connection? It was obvious that Cato was the most attractive male Tribute this year but that didn't mean that she had to fawn over him. It meant that she should see him as even more of a threat. The Capitol loved him and that meant that he would be the favorite to get Sponsors. She should be thinking out how to kill him in his sleep, not how to sleep with him.

Shaking my head, I turned my head to the doors again. It was silent, as far as I could tell, in the training room. But I knew that the Gamemakers were up in their perch, drinking and laughing. Looking down at the floor and thinking out a plan for how long I should spend at each training station, I saw a large shadow pop up in front of me. I looked up. Immediately I regretted it. Cato was standing in front of me with his large arms crossed over his chest. I crossed my arms too and leaned back in the chair. I knew that he was trying to intimidate me. For once it wasn't working.

I looked the large Tribute dead in the eye with a bored look. "Can I help you?" I asked.

For an extra effect, I stifled a yawn that I had felt coming on for a while. The training room went still as people glanced over to see what would happen between us. I supposed that our interactions were relatively entertaining. Instead of getting mad at my comment or bored reaction, Cato merely shrugged his shoulders and laid a hand on my shoulder. I looked at the appendage like it was poisonous and shrugged it off of me lightly.

"I take it you're feeling more confident this morning?" Cato asked.

I simply shrugged at him, hoping that he would go away if I wasn't interested. "Never wasn't," I said.

"Not even after the first day?"

"Nope."

Cato knew that he wasn't getting to me so he tried another tactic. "I saw those rankings last night. Not bad, 12. In the fourth spot?" he asked.

"Not as good as first," I said.

"That's true. Personally, I think it's too high for you. But still, that's good. It means that you might make it longer in the arena."

I looked up at Cato with raised eyebrows, wondering why he wanted me to live. "You want me to live?" I asked.

"In a way. Not that I want you to make it out. No. I want to see you get driven mad by the loss of your friends. I want to know how much hope your friends had that you would come back home. And I want to know what their faces look like when I kill you. And when the Victory Tour comes around, and they have to host a feast for me, I want to get the chance to talk to them. To tell them how tough you were but how easily you broke. How I could feel your warm blood pouring out of your chest. How I watched the light go out of your eyes. How you begged and how I ignored you."

The look in Cato's eyes was nothing short of vicious. He looked like he was ready to tear me limb from limb. I had steeled my face and my limbs so that I wasn't shaking. But on the inside I felt like I might fall apart. Cato had walked up closer to me and I could tell that all of the other Tributes were watching us, wanting to know what happened next. Not taking the abuse anymore, I quickly stood up and found myself face-to-chest with him. Pulling my arm up I shoved him back harshly. Unfortunately it did nothing more than make him shift slightly. He laughed and moved back to his original position.

"Get the hell away from me," I growled.

He did nothing of the sorts. He grabbed the top of my arms and pulled me into him so that we were touching. Some part of me was waiting to dissolve at the poisonous touch of him, but nothing happened. He leaned his head down to my own and I felt his breath fan over my face. Every part of me was as straight as it could be, stunned at what was happening.

"You're so determined to win. But you won't. You'll fight hard and I'll respect you for it. But you won't win. I'll split your damn skull before I let you win. You think you're the only one who has someone to go back to? You aren't. We all left someone. Get over it," he snarled.

"I never thought that I was the only one that left someone!" I hissed.

"You act like it."

No, I didn't. Did I? I refused to believe that I had been acting like that. Cato moved away from my ear and tightened his grip on my arm. I was sure that the bone would snap under his grip. The rage in his eyes was fleeting as it quickly was replaced with an amused smirk. How could he go from one personality to the other so quickly? He moved one hand from my upper arm and placed it on my shoulder. He forced his weight down on me and my knees buckled.

As it was Cato who was forcing me downwards there was no way that I could stop myself. He was far stronger than I was. I hit the chair roughly and knew that I must have looked like a fool. A huge part of me was tempted to ask who he had left at home but I didn't. It would have been the wrong thing to say. And he probably wouldn't have answered me. Instead the two of us just stared at each other in silence.

Just as I got the nerve to say something to him I heard the voice over the intercom call his name. How had that happened? Marvel, Glimmer, and Clove had already taken their turns? That was faster than I'd been expecting. Or maybe we had just been silently fighting with each other for longer than I had thought. His smirk widened and as he turned to the doors. Each set of eyes from every Tribute quickly dropped to their feet. Before Cato walked away he turned back to me with a cruel smile.

"Good luck, Aspen," Cato said.

It was only the second time he'd referred to me by my own name. He surprised me so much that I spit out, "What?"

It didn't affect him. "I can't wait to see what you score tonight. And I'll see you tomorrow night for the party. Save me a dance," he said, a glint flying through his eyes.

"You wish," I muttered.

He turned back to me. "I do."

My heart stopped. I was absolutely positive that my heart actually stopped. What the hell did he just say to me? Cato knew that he'd gotten to me. He smirked and walked through the doors. For the first time in what felt like hours I let a shaky breath out. Save you a dance? Over my dead body. Peeta turned to me with a shocked look and I shook my head at him. I was done talking for now. Knowing that I wasn't ready to talk about it just yet, especially with everyone here watching, he merely dropped a hand onto my knee and squeezed it lightly. I turned my head to him and smiled. It was nice to have a friend out here.

Not that I could have a friend out here. It would only make things worse at the end of the Games. If Peeta wasn't dead and I was still alive it meant that we would have to fight. And I wasn't sure that I could fight him. He was far too nice. But I didn't want to think about that. I was still hoping that someone else would take care of him. For a moment I made my plan to get these stupid scoring sessions over with and sleep until the scores were revealed, but then I remembered something crucial.

Tonight people from the Capitol would be talking to the families of the Tributes. The Interviews would be broadcasted just in time for the Tributes to see them after their sessions. Haymitch had told me the other day that by the time we got back up to the room and washed off they should be around District 8. That didn't matter where they would be. All I wanted to hear was what my stand-in family had to say about me. I assumed that it would be Ms. Everdeen, Katniss, Prim, and maybe even Gale. That was only if he didn't try to kill the interviewer.

Giggling slightly at the thought, I noticed that Peeta was looking at me like I was crazy. I leaned into him slightly. "Remember what Haymitch told us when we first got here and got to talk to him?" I asked.

"To embrace the imminence of our death?" Peeta asked.

I snorted under my breath and shook my head. I'd almost forgotten too. It hadn't really even registered until this morning. I just remembered that this was when they had done it in the past years. "Tonight is when they talk to the Tribute's families. It's so that they can have time to debate the scores before they broadcast them," I said.

Peeta nodded and he had a tiny smile on his face. I knew that his family really sucked sometimes but he did have two siblings. They would hopefully have something nice to say about him. "I forgot about that," he said.

"Me too."

"It should be nice for you to get to see Katniss and Prim again," Peeta said.

"Absolutely. What about your brothers?"

"Yeah. It should be nice," he muttered.

I'd almost forgotten about it, but I realized that he probably was bitter about it. Two people had volunteered for Prim and not even Peeta's older brother had volunteered for him. He must have been angry. So I fell silent and nodded awkwardly. I couldn't help the small smile that slid onto my lips. I couldn't wait to see them. To see any of them. Even if it was just on television I had to see them again. And it was the one time that someone would be able to compliment me without Cato there to destroy it. Hopefully I would be able to give them a good score. I had to give them something to hope for.

The intercom sounded with the name of an unfamiliar Tribute. I looked up and watched as the male from District 6 stood up and went into the room. He looked terrified. I didn't blame him. Being in a room alone with the Gamemakers wasn't a very appealing thought. I sighed and slipped lower into my chair. Taking a quick peak at the clock I rolled my eyes. We had been here for over two hours already. Why couldn't we have just come down when it was time for us to present for the Gamemakers? I crossed one leg under my other and thought back on the best times that I could remember.

Anything was better than sitting here and being paranoid over what was to come. This was some of the worst times of my life so I wanted to think about some of the best times. There weren't many of them but there were some days that were much better than the others. There was the time that I had first met Gale. That was definitely one of the best days that I could remember. At least when I looked back on it. It was the day where he had coined his favorite nickname for me. Tiger. I had always felt bad for those marks but he had always said that they were no big deal.

It had been last year when we were taking a dip in the lake that he had stripped off his shirt and I had seen the marks that I had left on him nearly eight years before that. I had been appalled to see that my marks were still on him but he had insisted that he liked them. He told me that it looked like he had been to war. He said that they looked cool. He had also told me that they would always make him remember me. I hoped that he was telling the truth about that. No matter what happened in that arena that was the version of me that I wanted him to remember.

That day was still as clear as the river had been. After the pair of us had gotten over the marks, I had actually taken a good look at him. And that had been when I'd felt those stupid butterflies in my stomach. It was the first and only time that I'd gotten the butterflies. I hadn't even gotten them when he'd kissed me. Of course I'd been a little preoccupied. Stupid teenage hormones. Naturally I had made a joke of the day at the river. I'd jumped into the river and began to splash him. The two of us had been in a splashing war when Katniss had found us.

Being the mother figure that she was, she had scolded us for making so much noise and somehow had gotten the two of us to apologize. I had to be a child about the whole thing when I grabbed her by the leg and yanked her into the water. At first she had been mad that I'd pulled her in, but quickly it had become funny and the three of us began to wrestle in the water. After we were all finished we had gotten out of the water and laid down on the bank talking about what our perfect lives would be like.

That had been one of the best that I could remember. Then there was also my eighteenth birthday party. We normally didn't do much of anything for birthdays but it had been a big one. The last year that I could be in the Reaping. I scoffed at the thought now. Katniss had made sure that the two of us stayed out hunting all day, and when we finally went back to her house everything was there. There was a cake that was from the bakery Peeta's family owned. It was the only time that we'd afforded one. There was also some of our other friends, like Madge. There had been more food than I had ever seen in one night.

Greasy Sae had been there too, playing music on her guitar. All night we had danced around and laughed together. Prim had been the one to give me my first gift. She'd gotten me a beautiful blue dress. It was one that she had told me I would have to wear on my next birthday. When I was finally too old to be in the Reaping. I scowled slightly, knowing that I would never get the chance to wear it now. But it had still been amazing. That night, after everyone had left and we had cleaned up, we had all gone over to my house. Prim, Gale, Katniss, and I had stayed up all night telling each other stories and singing.

It was those days that made me grateful that I lived in District 12. We may not have had all of the best technology or the smartest people but we had the kindest. We were all one big family. "Aspen Antaeus," the voice over the intercom called.

I'd been feeling a little confident earlier. It was all gone now. I gulped deeply and looked up. There was no one in the hallway except for myself and Peeta. There were some Peacekeepers in the corner but they didn't count. I looked up at the clock and took note that we'd been here for almost four hours. I couldn't believe that it had been so long. Taking a deep breath, I stood and shook my head clear of my thoughts. I didn't need to be thinking about the best moments of my life when I was about to go somewhere that only made me angry. Just as I began to walk forward Peeta's voice caught my attention.

"Hey, Aspen. Throw straight," he said.

I smiled at Peeta and nodded at him. "Thanks, Peeta. Throw hard," I said.

"Good luck."

"You too."

We might have been fighting for our lives against each other but it didn't mean that we couldn't be civil with each other. We exchanged a quick smile before I turned and walked up to the door. Taking a deep breath I pushed it open slightly. It gave way and I stepped into the room. It looked just like it had when I'd come in for the group training but now it was almost empty. And not just of the other Tributes. There were almost no trainers. There were two that were over by the weapons station, probably for use if you needed help for your demonstration.

The only other place that a trainer was placed at was the hand-to-hand combat station. That didn't come as a surprise. I looked at the man and realized that it wasn't the same trainer that I had fought and won against. This man looked stronger and like he wasn't one to lose. They had likely put him in here to provide a real challenge to the Tributes. I wondered if Cato had fought him. I also wondered if he'd won. Peeta would likely fight him after me. I almost lost my nerve to fight him but I shook it off. Even if I lost against him, I could make it up with the bow and arrows. Particularly the knives.

Heading to the center of the room, directly below the Gamemakers, I shook my head. It was exactly as Haymitch had expected it to be. They were all watching each other and laughing. By the looks of the empty glasses and the unsteady feet of few of the members it was obvious that they had been drinking. And probably eating far too much. I wondered if this was timed or if I was supposed to say something to them. Figuring that I might as well introduce myself and get their attention, I cleared my throat and stood my ground.

"Aspen Antaeus. District 12," I called loudly to the Gamemakers.

That seemed to catch their attention as they all turned to look at me. They looked shocked that I was even in the building. I assumed that they had completely forgotten that there were still people to come. Or maybe they just didn't care. I waited for some type of direction but they all just looked at me as if they expected me to start doing flips. Actually I could have done just that. I thought about it for a moment but decided against the unnecessary sass. Seneca Crane finally waved his hand to me with his eyes firmly locked on mine. I turned away from them, feeling like bugs were crawling over my arms.

For some reason he really freaked me out. Perhaps it was for the fact that he held my life in his hands. Shaking my head, I walked over to the platform that held the hand-to-hand combat station. I stood in front of the trainer and smiled awkwardly, waiting to greet him. The man was silent as he looked at me. He said nothing but waved me to take a step into the center of the mats. I did as motioned and waited for him to say something. But he never did. Instead he ran at me and tackled me to the ground.

Black spots clouded my vision and I coughed. He had caught me off guard but that was what these people were looking for. They were looking to see if we would be able to handle ourselves in surprise attacks. I thrashed around with him sitting on top of me but it was useless. He was too heavy. I looked back at the Gamemakers and saw that they were shaking their heads at me. Some were even looking away. I panicked slightly, knowing that I needed them to watch me. I swung one leg straight up and pushed the heel of my boot into the trainer's neck. He fell off of me and groaned, holding his neck.

He started to stand up but I didn't want to give him the chance to get his bearings. I ran into the man and tackled him. We went flying backwards and to my shock we went flying off of the platform. I grunted at the impact of the hard floor, glad that the trainer had been below me. He wasn't willing to let me win that easily. He rolled over and I slipped off of him. He brought a fist down and punched me in the stomach. I grunted at the impact and rolled over. Throwing a leg back, I kicked him roughly in the leg and watched as he fell. Grabbing him by the hands, I stepped over his arms and fell back onto him.

Definitely disturbing myself, I felt the bones pop in his arms and heard him cry out. Without thinking I had managed to dislocate his wrists. He was howling in pain and I smiled, thinking that I had won. To my shock he kicked me roughly in the back. I fell forward onto the ground and smacked my head on the concrete. Grunting at the sudden pain I raised myself back up again and turned to the trainer. He raised a foot at me and went to kick me in the stomach. I rolled my head back out of the way and grabbed his leg. He swung it again and it threw me to the ground. But I managed to keep my grip on his leg.

He went sprawling out onto the ground with me and I jumped on top of him. Not hesitating this time, knowing that had turned into a real fight, I sent one hard punch at the trainer. I saw his eyes roll back in his head at the sudden contact and I felt him tap my leg. Getting off of him now that we were done, I offered the man my hand. Blushing slightly, I remembered what I had done to him. Instead I grabbed his forearm and helped him up. The trainer gave me a small pat on the back before walking off to the infirmary area.

The Gamemakers knew that I was good with knives. I couldn't make much more of an impression with them. Fearing that I might actually be timed and I might end up running out - and knowing that I would have a better chance with a bow and arrow in the arena - I headed to the archery station. It would be easier to hunt animals. And Tributes, I realized. I needed one in the arena and this was my chance to ensure that they put one in there. I heard the quiet clapping from the Gamemakers box. I looked up and smiled at them. A few of the Gamemakers were clapping at me and the rest were talking.

Seneca Crane wasn't clapping or talking with anyone but he was smiling at me. Looking away from the Gamemakers, I stared at the bow and arrows. I'd been itching to get my hands on them. I grabbed a metal bow and an arrow. It was heavier than mine. They had never seen me use a bow before so I knew to start simple. I tested the pull on the bow and grimaced. It was tighter than any of the other bows that I had ever used. I nocked an arrow and pulled back the string, facing the target. They didn't want to see mistakes so I had to make this accurate. I aimed right at the heart of the target and released.

The arrow sailed ahead of me and landed in the target. But it hadn't been where I had wanted. It wasn't even close. The arrow was lodged in the leg of the target. It had just barely skimmed what would have been the outer thigh. It would slow a Tribute down but it wasn't fatal. And this target was still. I stared at the target in shock and heard the laughter coming from the Gamemakers' box. I looked up and saw that most of the Gamemakers were looking away from me, laughing and pointing at the target. Even Seneca Crane was looking away from me and drinking again.

Turning a bright red, I grabbed two arrows and took my spot back at the target. I nocked the first arrow and pulled back the string. Quickly I released the arrow and smiled at myself. It was now in the heart of the dummy. I just had to get used to the bow. Nocking the second arrow, I pulled it back again and released it without thinking. I looked ahead of myself and laughed. It had split the arrow that was already in the target in half. It was good but it wasn't enough. I had to show that I really knew what I was doing.

Moving back to the center of the gymnasium, I took my initial position and skewered another dummy right through the heart. Taking some cues from what I knew Katniss would do, I followed through by severing the rope that held the sandbag for boxing. The bag split open as it slammed into the ground. Without pausing, I shoulder-rolled forward, came up on one knee, and sent an arrow into one of the hanging lights that were high above the gymnasium floor. A shower of sparks burst from the fixture and rained down over me.

It was excellent shooting. I knew that Katniss would be proud. I turned back to the Gamemakers expecting some sort of praise. A small smile was on my face. It quickly fell. None of them were laughing at me. A few were nodding their approval, but the majority of them were fixated on a roasted pig that had just arrived at their banquet table. I grit my teeth harshly and stared at them. They were clapping and cheering. How dare they?

Our lives were in their hands and they were paying more attention to a dead pig. Suddenly I found myself furious. With my life on the line, they didn't even have the decency to pay attention to me. I'm being upstaged by a dead pig. My heart started to pound and I could feel my face burning. I walked over to the knife throwing station and took a small pack of three knives. They still weren't looking at me. I had an idea to make them look but it would certainly get me killed. It wasn't like I had a chance to win anyways. So I decided to stand out. I would do something that no one would have ever thought to do.

Make them look at you. That was what Haymitch had said. Perhaps he'd end up regretting telling me that.

Walking in front of the Gamemakers' box, I stood and looked them all dead in the eyes. It was no use. None of them were looking at me. Taking two of the knives in my hands and stashing the other, I picked my targets. The red apple in the pig's mouth was the perfect target. It was easy to spot and they were all surrounding it. There was no way that they would miss my throw. My eyes darted over to the light that was over the table at the same time. If I blew that out it would probably scare them to death. They would deserve it.

Positioning myself to throw, I tightened my hold on the knives. Raising the knife in my right hand first I threw it in a blind rage. I was lucky that I didn't hit a blue-robed man just centimeters away. The knife easily connected with its target. It sailed into the red apple and the force of the throw made the apple sail back into the wall where it stuck. The screams of the Gamemakers made me smile as I threw the second knife. It hit the light and the damn thing exploded, just like the one I'd shot the arrow with earlier. Quickly the surprised screams from the pig turned into fearful shrieks.

After a few seconds the Gamemakers seemed to remember themselves and they all turned to face me. Some looked angry while others looked astonished. But that wasn't where my attention was. It was currently on the Head Gamemaker. Seneca Crane was about to stand when one final blast of fury shot through me. If I was going to do this I was going to make it as severe as I could. Grabbing the other knife, I quickly threw it at the man. It landed in the head of the chair just below his head. Had he been another inch above where he currently was the Capitol would be looking for a replacement Head Gamemaker.

Seneca sat back down in his chair. Actually he more fell back into it. One of the Gamemakers reached over for a button on the wall and I reacted before I could quite comprehend what I was doing. I went into a shoulder-roll and picked up the bow halfway through. As I got back to my knee I reached back for an arrow, nocked it, and fired all in the same movement. The arrow went straight towards the man's hand, lodging in the wall in between two of his fingers. I was sure that he was about to faint.

Getting back to my feet I stared down the Head Gamemaker. I had gone this far. Why not make it another ten times worse? I already had a zero coming my way so I might as well. It wasn't like they could give me a negative number. And I was as good as dead anyways.

"Thank you," I told the Gamemakers. I went into a low bow and straightened myself up. "For your consideration."

Without waiting for a response, or being properly dismissed, I walked away from the Gamemakers and threw open the doors of the training room. I stomped out and down the hallway. Reaching the elevator, I slammed my finger into the twelfth floor button and hissed at the pain. That hurt more than I'd been expecting. I was dripping sweat but it was more from anger than anything else. Other than the fight with the trainer I really hadn't done much that involved movement.

The elevator dinged for the twelfth floor and I stomped out. Twelve floors below I had a bad feeling that the Gamemakers were planning on spending tomorrow trying to figure out the nastiest trap that they could make for me. I headed for the dining room, desperately wanting some water. As soon as I walked into the room I saw that the woman on the television was talking to the family of the District 6 male. It was just as Haymitch had said. I walked over to the kitchen but stopped as soon as I saw Effie. She looked up from her paper and smiled at me.

"How did the personal training go?" she asked with a smile.

"It was awesome," I growled. "I'll get the first ever twelve for sure."

She looked like she was about to question me but I ignored her. I scoffed and turned out of the room, heading for my own. It was Peeta's turn right now so I had to wait for him anyways to go out and talk about training with Haymitch. Wherever he was. Hopefully I hadn't made the Gamemakers angry. I didn't want them taking it out on Peeta unfairly. I walked into my room and quickly threw off my training clothes. I was more than happy to get out of them. I threw them into the corner angrily and walked over to my dresser. I pulled out a pair of tight white jeans and a grey loose-fitting shirt.

Walking into the bathroom I immediately turned on the water and stepped under the faucet, tugging at my hair trying to remove it from the braid. Every one of my nerves was on end and the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end. But eventually with the water traveling over my body I was calming down. There was nothing that they could do to me more than they already had. No one was hurt. Not even them. It was over. I wouldn't have to do that again. But I was probably going to be the first Tribute in history to get a zero in training.

At least that would get some attention on me, one way or another. It didn't matter. I hadn't been anticipating Sponsors anyways. I would managed to figure things out. Although I would never hear the end of it from Cato. Hopefully we wouldn't get much of a chance to talk at the party tomorrow. I hit the dial for the shampoo and rubbed it into my hair, getting the sweat and grease out. Washing it out I slicked my hair down with the shampoo, smiling at the smell. I may have hated the Capitol but their stuff smelled good. I hit the dial for the lavender scented body wash and let it foam around me.

I quickly washed it off and stepped out of the shower. I let the warm air dryer fan over me before I stepped off of the platform. Running a brush through my hair, I let it fall around my shoulders and I walked out of the bathroom. I had to do a shimmy to get into the tight pants and quite a few times I nearly fell over. Once I finally had them buttoned I grabbed the grey shirt and threw it over my head. It had long sleeves and was designed to fall off one shoulder. I smiled at the feeling and walked out of the room, knowing that it was almost time for the District 12 family interviews.

As I walked out of my room and into the living room, I smiled at the sight of Cinna. He was there along with my Prep Team. Portia was there too, along with Peeta's Prep Team. Peeta had beaten me. He was already showered with an open seat next to him. Effie was there too with a dark scowl on her face. It looked like she had just been yelling at everyone else. I wondered if what I did got back to her somehow. Probably. That would explain why she looked so angry. I took one more look around the room before I took a spot next to Peeta. The only person that wasn't here was Haymitch.

"Are you crazy?" Effie yelled, startling me.

I had only been here for a minute and I was already getting yelled at. "Debatable," I said, before thinking better of it.

Judging by the look on her face, I shouldn't have said it. She had found out what I'd done and told everyone. Now everyone was going to yell at me. "Why did you do that?" she asked.

I shrugged my shoulders as Effie waited for her answer. "I just got mad," I told her softly.

"Mad?" she shrieked.

I knew that Effie was a stickler for the rules but I had never thought that she was this bad. "It wasn't like I hurt any of them. It was just in their direction. I missed my first shot with the arrow and they started laughing. I made up for it with my next few shots but they didn't care. They were ignoring me and I just... I just lost my head, so I shot an apple out of their stupid roast pig's mouth!" I explained.

"Was that it?" Cinna asked.

"Well… No. I threw a knife at the light and over Seneca Crane's head."

"The Head Gamemaker!" Effie cried.

"Still has his head," I argued defiantly.

"Did you do anything else?" Cinna asked.

"One Gamemaker looked like he was going to push a button. I thought that he was planning on electrocuting me or something so I shot an arrow in between his fingers to get him to stop."

"And what did they say?" Cinna asked carefully.

"Nothing. Or I don't know. I walked out after that," I said.

"Without being dismissed?" Effie gasped, getting angrier and angrier by the second.

"I dismissed myself," I said. I remembered how I promised Prim that I really would try to win and I felt like a ton of coal had dropped on me.

"You realize that your actions reflect badly on all of us. Not just you," Effie said.

"They just want a good show, its fine," Cinna said.

I looked up at the man and gave him a small smile, which he returned. I'd just startled them and I'd given a good show. What was wrong with that? "How about just bad manners Cinna? How about that?" she asked him.

"Oh, right!" I shouted, unable to hold it in.

"Aspen -" Peeta started.

"We're the ones with bad manners. These people killed my family! I never met my parents because of them! My father died before ever setting eyes on me. I don't remember my mother." I was sure that the Careers could hear me, I was being so loud. "I'm here because I volunteered to keep my best friend's sister safe. I will very likely be dead in two weeks. Not that any of you care! All you care about it a good show. You, too. We're the ones that are supposed to have good manners. You ripped me away from my home, stole my family from me, and still expect me to treat you like royalty and thank you for bringing me out here? Damn you. And damn every last one of them.

"I'm the one with bad manners? Maybe you should go down to that training room and watch a twelve-year-old girl fight for her life. Maybe you should listen to the screams of children once the Games start. And maybe, when you're at my funeral, you should remember who pulled Primrose Everdeen's name. A twelve-year-old girl who cried when I tried to take her hunting, because I shot a bird to feed our starving family. A girl who offered to nurse it back to health. Did your mother raise you to tell you that it was alright to kill someone like that?"

My loud and long tirade silenced everyone. Peeta looked like he might reach out and hug me, as did Cinna, but they both remained still and silent. Effie looked like she might cry. Maybe I had laid into her a little too much but I couldn't help it. All of my emotions were finally coming to the surface. The Prep Teams were sitting over Effie and trying to comfort her. They didn't look happy with me in the slightest. They would probably purposely make me look like a fool before the party. Finally I realized that Effie really didn't know any better. She hadn't deserved what I'd said.

"Effie... I'm sorry. I - I didn't mean that," I whispered.

"It's alright. You're upset. I know. This is still a bad situation," she scolded.

It wasn't as sincere as they normally were. "I know," I muttered.

A slow clapping was coming from the back of the room and I turned. Haymitch was walking in with his eyes glued on me. He was actually smiling. "Well, finally! I hope you notice, we have a serious situation," Effie said to Haymitch.

There was something about Haymitch's presence that brought out the nastiest of Effie. He ignored her and walked towards me. "Nice throwing sweetheart!" he called happily, giving me a thumbs up. "Wha - Wha - What did they -" He was laughing too hard to get a coherent thought and I couldn't help but to laugh slightly. "What did they do when you hit the apple? Or when you nearly took Crane's head off?"

For a moment I stared at Haymitch in wonder. Apparently Effie was the only person that was angry with what I'd done. I would have thought that he would be mad at me for doing something like that. He seemed to like yelling at me for something or another. But then again he had been in the Games once himself and I knew damn well that they had taken something from him. It would explain the way that he was now. I guessed that he wanted them to look like fools.

"Well, they look pretty startled," I said awkwardly.

"What did you say? 'Thanks for...'" he asked, with a goofy smile.

Unable to hold it in I let a small smile cross my lips too. Effie was getting angrier by the second. "... your consideration," I mumbled with a smile.

His laugh turned into more of a bark as Haymitch bent over, slapping his knee. "Genius! Genius," he said, more to himself than me.

He circled around the couch and walked over to the small bar. He grabbed a glass and poured himself some of the amber liquid, tipping it back. Part of me wanted to take the glass from him and keep it to myself, but I resisted. Now would have been an awfully nice time to calm down. Effie was still standing in the corner, steaming at the fact that no one was taking what I had done as seriously as she was. She had clearly gotten over my earlier explosion.

"How do you find this funny? If the Gamemakers decided to take it out -" Effie continued to prattle on, but Haymitch quickly stepped in.

Faster than I would have thought was humanly possible, Haymitch went from happy and giggly to stone cold sober. He whipped to Effie with anger clear in his eyes. "On who? On her?" he growled, pointing to me. "On him?" He pointed to Peeta. "I think they already have. Loosen your corset and have a drink. I would have given anything to see it," he told me, calming down

My Mentor took a spot behind Peeta and me as Effie silently flipped the television on. "Do you think they'll arrest me?" I asked.

"Doubt it. Be a pain to replace you at this stage," Haymitch said.

"What about my family? Will they punish them?" I asked, feeling a little nervous.

"Don't think so. Wouldn't make much sense. See they'd have to reveal what happened in the Training Center for it to have any worthwhile effect on the population. People would need to know what you did. But they can't since it's secret, so it'd be a waste of effort. More likely they'll make your life hell in the arena," Haymitch said.

"Well, they've already promised to do that to us anyways," Peeta said.

We all nodded. The screen showed Thresh's family saying their final words to him. I smiled at the two women on the screen. Just before they faded out I saw who they were. It was his grandmother and his sister. He didn't have his parents either. At least he had his sister. The camera faded to District 12 and I smiled at the familiar sight of the Seam. Right behind the woman on screen was the Everdeen household. For a moment I wished that I could have seen Cato's but it was too late. And watching something like that just might make me feel bad for him. It was something that I couldn't afford.

The woman on screen walked forward to the Everdeen house and knocked lightly on the door. A moment went by and my breath hitched in my throat. Finally the door opened to reveal Ms. Everdeen, welcoming the cameras in. I smiled at the older woman and shuffled forward in my chair slightly. Peeta laid a hand on one of my legs and Cinna laid a hand on the other. Looking away from the screen for a moment I looked at the pair and smiled. Looking back on the screen I watched as the camera turned from the interviewer and faced the people that had come out to speak for me.

Ms. Everdeen was shown first. The caption read 'Adoptive Mother.' I smiled at the idea. The Capitol actually did something right. The camera shifted to Katniss and I smiled. She looked calm and like she hadn't slept since the Reaping. Her caption read 'Friend of Tribute.' Prim was next. I nearly cried at the sight of her. Her caption read 'Tribute Volunteered for Young Friend.' She looked sad but proud. I thought that the interviews would start but the camera shifted again. I snorted lightly when it showed Gale. His caption also read 'Friend of Tribute.' He looked angry. I could only pray that he wouldn't say anything rude.

"It's lovely to see all of you this evening," the interviewer said. All of my friends nodded at her and said small hello's to the interviewer. "Ms. Everdeen, let's start with you. How did you get to be the caretaker for Aspen?"

Ms. Everdeen nodded at her question. "I knew both her mother and her father. My late husband and I did. They were good friends of ours. When her father passed away we stepped in to care for Aspen. After her mother passed on we decided to take her in. When my husband passed it was hard to care for her as well. But she and my other kids, as well as their friends, stepped up. She's a smart and sweet girl. Her parents would have been proud," she said.

It was the most that I'd heard her say at once in a long time. Probably since before Mr. Everdeen had died. I smiled at Ms. Everdeen and vowed that if I made it back home she would be the first one that I hugged. I had never really thought about all that she had done for me and I should have. She was the reason that I hadn't died in infancy. The interviewer thanked Ms. Everdeen and moved on to Katniss, who looked like she might throttle the reporter. Half of me hoped that she would.

"Katniss, Aspen volunteered for your sister. How did that feel? Why didn't she let you volunteer?" the reporter asked.

Katniss looked at the reporter for a minute before turning to the camera. "She didn't let me volunteer because if Prim was ever Reaped again she wanted someone to be able to save her. After this year, Aspen is too old. I still have two more years. She did it to save Prim and me. She didn't want me to die. It felt like my heart had been ripped out. No matter what, I lost something. If Prim had gone, she would have been killed. If I went, I wouldn't get to see my best friend again or my little sister grow up. And now that Aspen is there, I might never see her again," she snarled.

None of her words were nice but the interviewer missed them. She looked like she thought that Katniss was just sad. I knew better. She was angry. The interviewer thanked Katniss and the camera panned off of her, turning to Prim. The little girl looked so beautiful. I could see how she looked like her father. She shared very few features with her sister or her mother. Prim actually looked more like me. And I would have been so proud to have her as a sister.

"Primrose. Aspen volunteered for you. Very brave of her. What did you think when she did that?" the woman asked.

Prim looked at the camera for a moment before dropping her head, but looking back up quickly. "I felt like it was my fault. It is my fault. If I hadn't been Reaped, she wouldn't be there. But it doesn't matter. She wanted to protect me. And she is. I know that she'll make it back to me. She promised," Prim's voice dropped off, and the camera turned back to the reporter.

"No," I whispered.

Peeta's hand tightened on my knee slightly. Despite the fact that we didn't know each other very well, he knew how badly it hurt me to leave Prim back home. My heart dropped out of my chest. I could have cried right there. It wasn't Prim's fault. If I could fault it on anyone, it would be Effie. It was her that picked the slip. The one slip that had Prim's name on it. Prim had done nothing. Tears rose to my eyes and I had to fight to push them back as the reporter gathered herself and she began to get ready to talk with Gale. I straightened up and looked dead into the screen.

"Gale, you seemed to have a moment with Aspen when she volunteered. Is there something there that we should know about? And is there anything that you would like to say to Aspen right now? She is watching in the Capitol you know," the reporter said.

Gale looked as though he might rip into the reporter but he managed to calm himself and look into the camera. "She's my best friend. Of course there was a moment," he sneered.

Cinna glanced over at me. "Your friends do seem nice," he said, making me smile.

"But that moment was me wishing that it had been anyone else. I don't want to lose her, I love her." My face turned a bright red as the faces in the room all turned to me. There was a happy muttering coming from my Prep Team. Haymitch shushed them. I turned back to the television and was startled to see that Gale was looking dead into the camera. It felt like he was talking to me. No one else was here. "Aspen. We made sure that we were both ready for this. Remember those days? I know that you're ready for this. You know that too. You get out there and you do whatever you need to do to win. You win these Games and you get back here, okay? You do what I know you can. We miss you. I miss you. Can't wait to see you, Tiger. I love you."

The camera turned back to the fawning reporter. Charming. Now this would be all over the news tomorrow. I had some lover back home that wanted me back. No. I had a best friend that hated the Capitol and refused to lose me to them. The reporter thanked everyone and the camera turned back to my family for one last comment. Everyone was yelling good luck, that I could do this, and that they loved me. I couldn't keep track of who was who. Too soon they faded out from the television and the camera opened back up in front of the bakery. I looked away from the screen, feeling like this was private, and thought back.

Ms. Everdeen had seemed hopeful but realistic. It was all that I could expect from her. She had lost two of her best friends, both well trained, to these Games. I couldn't blame her for not being sure if I would make it. I didn't know if I would make it either. Katniss had seemed solemn, like always. If I made it back the two of us would have to have a lesson on smiling. Although maybe I wasn't the person to teach her that. I only smiled a little more than she did. She seemed hopeful that I would come home but I could see the doubt in her eyes. She knew that it was hard and she knew what I was up against.

Prim had seemed depressed. She thought my being here was her fault. Hopefully I didn't die here. I didn't know what it would do to her if she thought that I had died because of her. She had seemed confident for me. The wonders of youth. She didn't realize how slim of a chance I had of winning. Then there was Gale. I didn't know what to think. He seemed angry. I wasn't shocked. He hated the Capitol. But his words... He sounded like he really, genuinely, missed me. I missed him too. I loved him. I knew that.

But there were questions that were burning in the back of my mind. What kind of love had he meant? And what kind of love did I have for him? I had no idea. I knew that he meant that world to me. I knew that it would devastate one of us if we lost the other. I looked back up and saw that Peeta's family was fading out of the screen. It seemed that it was time for us hear what the Gamemakers thought that we were capable of. Haymitch gave both Peeta and I reassuring looks as Caesar and Claudius introduced themselves and began to talk about how the scores worked.

Not that it was ever any different. We were scored between a one and a twelve. A one was the most pathetic Tribute you could think of and a twelve was an immeasurably wonderful Tribute. It would have been the perfect one. A twelve had never been given before so every year the Careers always fought for one. Even elevens were rare. Most Careers landed between an eight and a ten. All other Tributes usually ranged between a five and an eight. But sometimes Careers scored lower and others scored higher.

"As you know, the Tributes are rated on a scale of one to twelve after three days of careful evaluation," Caesar Flickerman said. "The Gamemakers would like to begin by evaluating... From District 1, Marvel with a score of 9."

"Spears," Peeta whispered.

"Yeah."

He deserved that score, as much as I didn't want to admit it. "Glimmer with a score of 9," Caesar continued.

I was glad that I hadn't been drinking anything or I would have spit it out. What the hell did she do? Flash her chest? Even Peeta seemed shocked at the score. "For doing what?" I asked.

"No idea," Peeta said.

"From District 2, Cato with a score of 10."

I gulped deeply. I wasn't surprised though. He deserved it. I was sure that he was happy with his score down on the second floor. "Sword," Peeta explained to Haymitch.

"Clove with a score of 10."

Again, she had been great with knives. It was unsurprising. "Knives," I muttered.

"From District 4, Coral with a score of 9."

She must have been good with something to get that nine. "Don't know," Peeta said.

"From District 5, Finch with a score of 5." I shook my head. I thought she deserved more than that. But she wasn't a fighter and that was what they wanted to see. "From District 11, Thresh, with a score of 9."

That wasn't shocking at all. "Probably a sword," I said.

"Rue with a score of 7." I smiled at the screen. I knew that Rue was better than dead. Now she just had to prove it in the arena. "From District 12, Peeta Mellark with a score of 8."

I smiled at Peeta and pulled him into a hug. "Good job," I cheered.

That was a great score for a Tribute from District 12. We hardly ever got that high. And I was sure that his score would look great compared to mine. "Not bad," Portia said.

"Bravo," Haymitch added, giving him a small slap on the shoulder.

"We can work with that," Effie said happily.

Peeta's face disappeared and I steeled myself for the disappointment that would come from my score. "And finally... From District 12, Aspen Antaeus. With the score of..." Caesar's face fell and I sighed. "12!" I sat there in shock as the rest of my floor erupted in cheers. "The first 12 ever given! To a District 12 Tribute too! I can't help but wonder what she did in there to get that score!"

The screen changed as they went over the scores one more time, this time saying what they thought would come from each Tribute. "Congratulations," Peeta said.

My jaw dropped as a small smile broke out over my lips. There went my theory that they were going to give me a zero. I was mildly aware that I was being passed around the room like a rag doll but I was more focused on the score. I had thrown a knife at them. I had nearly killed the Head Gamemaker. So why did the give me a perfect score? There had to be some other reason.

Finally I was shocked back into reality as Peeta caught me by the waist and handed me a glass of the blue liquid. "I thought they hated me," I said softly as the noise died down.

Haymitch walked over with a glass in his hand too. "They must have like your guts," he said, slapping me on the back again. A huge smile was spread across his face.

Cinna walked over to me with a smile as he raised his glass. The rest of the room raised their glasses and so did I. I felt like I might pass out but I locked my legs. I willed myself to make it until I could get to the privacy of my own bedroom. That was when I would get the chance to actually think about what had just happened.

"To Aspen Antaeus... The Girl On Fire!" Cinna shouted.

They were all chattering and cheering about what had just happened. We had definitely just made ourselves real contenders in the Games. I downed my drink and talked with my team for a while. It wasn't the Interviews tomorrow. It was just the party. But after about an hour I was finally completely drained. I hadn't done much today but it had been emotionally exhausting. I excused myself from the living room and walked into my bedroom. I could hear everyone still talking in the living room but the voices were muffled now.

Dropping into bed, I didn't bother to take my clothes off. All I wanted to do was crawl in bed and never get out. But that was only wishful hoping. Instead I laid on my back and looked up at the ceiling. There were good and bad things that came out of today. I was a threat and sure to get Sponsors. But Cato would be furious and the Tributes would be gunning for me. Praying that I would be able to get through the party tomorrow without encountering Cato, I slipped under the covers and closed my eyes. After a few minutes I drifted into a sleep filled with dark woods and the flash of golden hair streaking by me.

The next morning I woke up at the Effie's incessant knocking. I rolled my eyes and ungracefully rolled out of bed. I landed on my knees and stood up. Flipping my hair from my face I brushed it back. It was all that I did to it. With the party coming it was a sure thing that Cinna would be here soon to get me ready for the party. Walking into the hallway I greeted Effie and Peeta who were already at the table. Haymitch walked out just after me as well, looking slightly hungover. He took a spot at the table and poured himself some coffee. I poured myself a cup too. I didn't bother grabbing any food. I wasn't very hungry.

It didn't take me very long to be swept away from the table. I'd only gotten a few seconds to talk with Peeta about something else at the table - hot chocolate - before the day flew into motion. I groaned at the loud voices of my Prep Team as they walked into the room. They were very sweet but I couldn't stand being around them for more than a few minutes at a time. Today they were babbling about how amazing they were going to make us look for the party tonight. Flavius grabbed onto my arm and pulled me from the table.

Nearly tripping at his tug I leaned back to the table and grabbed my cup before they could lead me out of the penthouse. Once we were in the elevator they began to babble again about how amazing I would look tonight. I only caught a few words. I heard something about gold and something else about hair. Octavia informed me that they would be taking me back to where I had been when I'd first gotten here and they would be redoing that process. I groaned at the thought of sitting on that cold metal table again but I nodded. Maybe if I cooperated this time I wouldn't be there for four hours.

Our group stepped out of the elevator. As we were walking down the hall of the sub-level, I caught Cato's eye. He looked like he had just been woken up too, but when he caught my eye he immediately stiffened. He looked me down with a red-hot glare and I was tempted to make a run for it. I knew that had his Prep Team not been there with him he would have come over to me. But instead of making a scene he merely glared at me until I was out of sight. The entire time it had felt like my skin was on fire. Thankfully I was pulled into my prep room and ordered to strip off my clothes.

Nodding at my Prep Team I took off the grey shirt and white pants, letting them fall around me. I also pulled off my underwear and let my Prep Team get a look at me. I couldn't imagine how much more they could do to me. They had just done the full treatment a few days ago. They started nodding and began to speak among themselves. Unlike last time I didn't try to hear what they were saying. I was dunked into the cold bathwater like I had been the first time and I was washed down. Unfortunately it had been as violating as it had been the first time.

After they had scrubbed me of any dirt that I had acquired while being here they began to wax me. Everywhere. Apparently I had grown hair more than they had thought I could while I was here. I rolled my eyes and let them pull at the short hairs. But with every yank I cried out slightly. And when they got to the more sensitive areas... I still wasn't very cooperative with that. After they had waxed me I was dunked in the milk bath until my skin returned to its light tan. My eyebrows were done next and I felt like they were on fire from all the plucking. After the eyebrows were done they moved to makeup.

When I saw it in the mirror, I smiled. Even though there was a fair bit on me I realized quickly that I actually didn't look too different than I normally did. It was nothing like it had been for the Tribute Parade. It was much lighter now. There was still a dark line that was surrounding my eyes, but the eye shadow was much lighter now. It was a soft golden hue. Apparently that had been the gold that they were talking about. The golden tone brought out the brown tints in my eyes.

My cheeks were done with a soft pink making my cheekbones stand out. It looked healthy. I had clearly gained a pound or two while I was here. My eyelashes were coated in a dark black too, making my lashes look like they extended well past my face. My lips also had a soft pink tinge to them, boasting the same wet look that they had had when I was going to the Tribute Parade. My nails were done after that, the nail extending just past the fingertips. They were painted a soft gold, just like my eyes, and all of the nails were the same length. They were covered with small diamonds.

My hair was next. It was the last thing that my Prep Team needed to do. It turned out that Cinna was spending most of his time working on the dress that I would be wearing tonight. I glanced up at the clock. It was four o'clock now. I had slept in today. It was the only day that I'd gotten to since getting here. The party was supposed to start at seven. I would probably be here for another hour before I would be able to head over to Cinna. When my hair was finally done I turned to the mirror and looked at myself. My hair was in soft waves, almost as if I had crawled out of the lake and let my hair dry. But it was pretty.

It made my hair look longer. And the way it framed my face made me look like I was older than eighteen. There were small braids done into my hair every few inches on the underside. Flavius told me that it was too add texture to my hair. The final touch on the hair was a light sprinkling of gold glitter in it. It made it so that every time I moved my head I would sparkle and the light would reflect off of my hair. They had most likely done that in anticipation of me dancing. But I was hoping to get through the night with nothing more than maybe a dance with Peeta. Or Haymitch, if he insisted.

Flavius helped me stand from my spot on the hair-styling chair and I thanked him, along with the rest of my Prep Team. They had done a good job with making me look very pretty without giving the appearance of being a Capitol citizen. They were much nicer today than they had been the first time that we'd met. They all gave me quick hug and complemented me on my change of attitude. I wanted to give them the same but I managed to keep my mouth shut. I smiled at the three before I walked out of the room and headed to where Cinna's styling room was.

As I hit the room at the end of the hallway I pushed the door open. I was glad that no one else was out in the hallway. Cinna was already in the room and he beckoned me to stand on the pedestal. I dropped my robe, knowing that he would want to see me. For some reason I wasn't as afraid of him, or the rest of my Prep Team, seeing me naked anymore. Maybe it was the whole these might be my last days on earth thing. Or maybe I'd just gotten used to it. Either way, I dropped the robe and followed his eyes as he looked me over.

"Thank you," Cinna said.

He did a quick walk around me. I was grateful that his eyes never lingered in one place for too long. It was one of the reasons that I trusted him. Cinna handed me my robe back and beckoned me over to the table where he had some tea set out. I walked over to the table and slipped on my robe. Cinna handed me a cup and I thanked him, taking a spot besides him.

"You're making quite a wave here in the Capitol," Cinna said.

"I have that effect," I said, making us both smile.

"You seem to have that effect on your friend back in District 12."

A blush filled my face. "Are they talking about that?" I asked desperately.

"They were. I wouldn't worry about it. Your score has managed to overpower anything that he might have said," Cinna informed me.

"Good," I muttered.

"How about I just let you get into the dress?" Cinna asked.

"Let's do it."

The two of us walked back over to the pedestal and he helped me up onto the raised platform. "Close your eyes," Cinna said.

He never liked letting me see the designs before he was done. I nodded and let my eyes slip shut. From across the room I could hear the shuffle of the fabric of the dress. There was a small clinking so I figured that there was beading or embroidery on it. The fabric sounded light. That was good. If somehow I did have to dance it would be a light material that I was dancing in. I heard Cinna move back over to me and I waited to do as told. I dropped the robe again and shivered as the cold air hit my body. An odd thought struck me as I heard him ruffling the fabric.

"Hey, Cinna?" I called out.

"Yes?"

"Why did you become a Stylist?" I asked.

Maybe it wasn't the best thing to ask but I was curious. He was such a nice guy that it seemed impossible for him to work here. He sighed as he walked closer. "Turn around," he ordered.

For a moment I thought that he might not answer me. I wasn't sure that I could blame him. He might have had worse of a story than I did. Maybe I shouldn't have asked. I did as instructed and felt him run a bra around my front. He positioned it properly before beginning to hook it in the back. It seemed like the hook on this bra was lower than they normally were. That meant that there was more than likely a low back to the dress.

"I wondered if you would ever ask me that," Cinna said softly.

"I'm sorry for asking," I muttered.

"That's alright. My mother was actually from the Districts."

I raised an eyebrow and almost opened my eyes. But I knew that he would slap me if I did. "Really?" I asked.

"Yes. She lived in District 8 and was lucky enough to never go into the Games. My father lived there too and they were happy together."

District 8. That was textiles and clothing. It made so much sense. "That explains the fashion designer," I teased.

"It does. Step up," Cinna instructed. I did and I felt him put my underwear on. I grabbed the hips of the underwear and pulled them up myself while Cinna went back to the dress. "They watched friends and neighbors die every year at the hand of the Games and they hated them. Once they turned twenty-one, the Capitol came to collect them. They told them that they would live in wealth and away from any risk of having their child be put in the Reapings. They were going to say no but the Capitol doesn't take kindly to rejection. They would have executed my parents. So they said yes."

I was in shock. I would have never thought that Cinna had come from two simple textile workers in District 8. "The Capitol liked their designs then?" I asked.

" frequently sent them straight to the Capitol. It was no shock that they were brought to the Capitol. It happens from time to time," Cinna explained.

"I didn't know that."

"It's rare but it happens. They were brought here. One leg up," he instructed. I lifted my leg and felt the fabric of the dress slide under me. "Other leg up." I lifted my other leg up and felt the fabric slide over my hips. "I grew up in the Capitol with my parents being personal Stylists to the Gamemakers. They raised me to know about life in the Districts and how horribly people are treated there. I always wanted to make a difference and one day I had an idea. I wanted to make my Girl on Fire. So last year I applied and asked for District 12. And then I got you. Exactly who I wanted."

I smiled brightly. I could tell that Cinna was smiling too. He was behind me, zipping the dress shut. I felt his hands pull away from the dress leaving it hanging on my body. "I always wondered what made you so different. I'm glad that I could do something right for you," I told him.

"You've done more than enough," he said.

Cinna laughed softly and pulled me off of the platform. He walked me over to the couch and sat me down. I felt shoes being slid over my feet and laced up to the bottom of my knee. When I put my foot back down on the ground I felt the heel behind me. I'd never walked in heels before. That ought to be good. Cinna slid the other heel on after and let my foot down. He had me stand up again and I felt a light powder being dusted over me. It was probably some type of powder similar to the kind that was in my hair.

The heel of Cinna's shoe stomped away and I waited for the go ahead to look at myself over in the mirror. "You may look now," Cinna said.

I opened my eyes and looked myself over in the mirror. It was just as beautiful as the dress for the Tribute Parade had been but it was different in every way. The dress was amazing. It was a sweetheart neckline that dipped a little bit into my bust. It was showing a decent amount of cleavage but in a tasteful way. I wondered if it would be to try and draw male Sponsors. I would suck it up and deal with it if it was. I needed them. The dress was a light gold and it was covered in small crystals. The crystals caught the light and sent rays across the room.

The dress was tight around the bodice and it flowed on the bottom under the waist. It had a low back, almost to where my belly button was. The dress had a high slit in the side, coming up to the middle of my thigh. It showed off my strong and tanned legs. The dress trailed slightly in the back by a few inches. It was gorgeous. My heels were about three inches tall. They weren't insanely high and were the same gold as the dress. They had a jeweled band on them that wrapped up my leg to right below my knee. The powder that was on me was just what I had thought it was. The same gold powder that was in my hair.

Walking over to Cinna, I wrapped him in a light hug and smiled at him. "Thank you, Cinna."

"You're welcome."

"I'd feel so much better if you could come with me," I told him.

He smiled at me and pushed me away from him slightly. He motioned me to turn and I did. I felt beautiful. I just wished that it was in a different situation. "I wish I could go with you too," Cinna said. "But you look beautiful and you will make an impression there. Not that you can make much more of an impression than you already have."

He sent me a small wink. I laughed as he put a hand on my lower back. "I've made myself look crazy," I said.

"That's more fun. Alright, let's get you out to the car. Once I get you out there, you'll be in the hands of Haymitch and Effie. Not to worry. They'll be there the entire time. You aren't alone. And I'll see you tomorrow, when you're getting ready for the interviews."

"Thanks."

With his hand behind my back we walked towards the car. A dark limo pulled up to the curb where we were standing and the driver of the car came around to open the door. I thanked Cinna once more and thanked the driver as I climbed into the limo. Sitting in the black leather seats, I grabbed the train of my dress and pulled it into the car behind me. The driver closed the door and I looked around where I was sitting. It was nicer than the car that we'd gone to the train station in.

Peeta was right next to me and he was looking me over. I blushed at him and smiled. He looked nice in his dark suit. Haymitch was at his side and he was in a nice suit, looking genuinely sober for the first time. Effie was at my side and she was in her zone, playing with her makeup and babbling about how nice this whole thing would be. I rolled my eyes at her, hoping that she would stuff it. I was nervous enough without her babbling away. Right now I was public enemy number one and all I wanted was to hide in a bush all night.

"You two are the last to be at the party so make a grand entrance! And smile, Aspen!" Effie told us.

"Do I really frown that much?" I asked Peeta.

"Well no one can smile as much as she does," Peeta said.

We both smiled as the limo pulled to a stop. I rolled my eyes as Effie continued to speak, knowing that my attitude would be a problem here if I couldn't fix it. I would have to get over myself and try to be nice tonight. I glanced to my right and saw the lights that were blazing from President Snow's mansion. Even from here I could hear the music playing on the outside of the limo. I grabbed Peeta's hand tightly and felt that it was clammy. He was nervous too.

The man that had opened up the door for me came around and opened it again. Effie immediately jumped out of the limo and ran off, calling to someone that she apparently knew. She didn't even bother stopping to thank the man. I guessed that it was so much for her being here the whole time. Haymitch climbed out next and I was shocked at the cameras that were flashing all over the place. I hadn't realized that they would be here. Haymitch held out his hand for me and I climbed out of the car.

"Walk forward, I'll catch up in a minute," he said.

"Okay."

I did as told and walked forward. There were flashes all around me, and I heard the calls of all of the camera people. Most of the shouts were about my training score. There were a few people that were still trying to question me on what Gale had said to me during the home visit. I refused to react the same way that I had when I was coming into the Capitol. Finally I managed to pass the boundaries for the cameras and into the home of President Snow. I immediately felt like I could have thrown up.

The camera people had dissipated but now there were people everywhere that controlled my fate. Seeing so many Gamemakers made me nervous. A man bumped into me and ran past as if nothing had happened. I was almost tossed to the floor. I had no idea what to do so I just stood there stupidly. A hand grabbed my arm and I nearly shouted. When I turned I saw that it was Finnick. He pulled me out of the middle of the walking area and into a secluded area of the yard. Haymitch was there too, already sipping on a drink.

"Finnick... Why are you -?"

"Peeta is already out there mingling. Time to get you out there. Talk with the Sponsors. Don't be rude and don't say anything stupid!" Haymitch hissed.

Everything happened so fast that I wasn't able to finish asking Finnick why he was out here with us. I was about to yell back at Haymitch that I wasn't that stupid, but he called out the name of a man that I had never heard of. A thin man with green hair walked over to us and laughed as he saw me. I nearly ran from the man but Finnick had a rough hand on me, keeping me in place.

"Marcus, this is Aspen," Finnick introduced.

I smiled awkwardly at the man who grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the floor. I stumbled after him and nearly bowled him over once he stopped. "It's good to finally meet the Girl on Fire," he said.

"Nice to meet you," I mumbled.

The man named Marcus laughed and held his hand up. I had only danced twice in my life. Once on the feet of Mr. Everdeen when I was a child and once when I was with Gale. He had been consoling me after I'd hurt myself that day. When music had come on he'd picked me up and danced with me. That had been one of the best days of my life. I grabbed Marcus's hand and let my other place gently on his shoulder. He laid one hand on my lower back, dangerously close to my butt. I wanted to yell at him but I knew that would have been a bad thing to do.

"So, Aspen," Marcus said, pulling me from my thoughts. "Obviously you're good from that score. And very good looking." He was wearing a slimy grin. I would need a boiling shower after this. "But what is it that you're so good with? I want to Sponsor you, but I need to know what my Tribute is good with."

If he was offering me his Sponsorship I would suck it up and deal with his disgusting attempts to flirt with me. His smile told me that there was another meaning to what he'd just said. It made my skin crawl. I tried as hard as I could to block that idea from my mind. Racking my mushed brain I tried to think what weapons I was good with.

"Uh... knives. Bow and arrows. Hand-to-hand combat. I'm good with making fire and climbing too. I'm a fast runner and a strong swimmer too," I told him.

Marcus smiled at me and laughed heavily. "Wonderful!" he yelled. I jumped at the noise and tried to smile back at him. He creeped me out far too much. "Well, my dear, you have my vote! Just wait until you get into that arena! The many presents you'll get from me!"

"Thank you."

"And your birthday is during the Games, isn't it?" he asked.

"About ten or so days in, I think," I said.

"Great! You be careful in that arena, Aspen. I want to be the first to congratulate you when you win," he said.

"Thank you."

His wording made my skin crawl but I had to nod along and act like our entire dance was the highlight of my life. Forget what Haymitch told me about not being charming, I knew that I could be when I needed to. Marcus and I said our goodbyes - as he apparently had business to attend to - before leaving each other. I was glad. I got the feeling that he would have wanted to talk to me all night otherwise. I walked back over to Haymitch and Finnick who were huddled together talking. My legs were very shaky.

"What the hell just happened? What is going on?" I asked them angrily.

They ignored me and called out the name of another man. Once more, I was pulled onto the floor by another potential Sponsor, and once more I was able to get him to Sponsor me. Time after time, I was sent out onto the floor by a friend of either Finnick or Haymitch. They knew a number more people than I would have thought that they did. They seemed to mostly be Finnick's friends and I noticed that they were all males. It had been nearly two hours and I felt like I might die if I was sent to one more person. I must have talked to at least twenty people so far.

As my dance with some man whose name that I didn't know came to an end I looked back over at Finnick. Why the hell was he helping me and not his own Tributes? What was so special about me? We weren't supposed to be working together. As I automatically thanked the man for his dance and for his Sponsorship, I walked backwards past the man away from Finnick and Haymitch. I headed straight to the bar. I grabbed a glass that was sitting on the edge of the counter and quickly downed it, hoping that no one would see me.

Just my luck, someone grabbed my arm. When I looked up and prepared my speech to let me go, I saw that it was Seneca Crane who had a light grip on me. "A little young for that, aren't we?" Seneca Crane asked.

"Life is short. Might as well enjoy it while we can," I muttered, hoping that he would realize what I meant.

"That is true. Although you do have the Interviews tomorrow. We wouldn't want to look like your dear Mentor during your Interview," he said.

"Haymitch isn't that bad," I said, surprising even myself.

As much as I had hated Haymitch the first time that we had met, he was somehow growing on me. We did have a few things in common, after all. And if I had to pick either Haymitch Abernathy or Seneca Crane I would always pick the former. I glared at the Head Gamemaker and dropped the glass back onto the edge of the counter. I went to try to walk away from him, but his grip was stronger than me.

"It was just one glass. I was a little stressed out from some crazy Sponsor. I've been talking to them all night and I'm about ready to just go home. It's the only drink that I've had today," I told Crane, hoping that he would leave me alone.

"They are quite enthusiastic," Crane said.

All I wanted was for him to walk away and leave me along. Naturally he grabbed my hand and I immediately knew where this was going. I didn't want to be around him anymore. He pulled me away from the counter and smiled at me. I looked him up and down, surprised to see that he wasn't in his typical black and red suit. Instead he was wearing a black suit with a dark blue satin shirt underneath. He looked nice, but I was never willing to admit that out loud.

"Let's dance, Aspen."

"Okay."

There were very few things that I wanted to do even less than dance with Seneca Crane. But I let him pull me onto the floor anyways. As I walked out with him I saw the shock that was clearly written across the faces of the other Tributes and their Mentors. A slow song started up and Seneca laid one hand on my lower back, more respectful than most of the man that I had danced with tonight. At least he had that going for him. I laid a hand on his shoulder and let him lead me into the dance. He had swift feet and was a better dancer than I would have expected.

"Surprised?" he asked.

"A little," I admitted.

"I was enrolled in a dance program when I was younger."

Some part of that actually was funny. I couldn't imagine a little kid of Seneca dancing. "They have dance programs?" I asked.

"A number of them. You have the makings to be a good dancer."

"I've only danced twice before this," I admitted.

"With the Sponsors?"

"Back at home."

"With?"

"My best friend and my best friends' late father," I said.

It put a smile on my face. Seneca Crane smiled and looked me in the eyes. Needless to say, I immediately sobered up. "Well, Aspen, I must say that you shocked me in your training yesterday. I've never had a Tribute throw a knife at me. We've never had a Tribute do anything like that," he said.

"Are you expecting an apology?"

It was a stupid thing to say but I didn't take it back. "Of course not. You wouldn't even if I demanded it, correct?"

"Correct."

"It was impressive and it showed in your score. I want you to win, Aspen. I do."

"Really?" I asked.

That was now the Head Gamemaker and another Mentor that wanted me to live. "It's why I paid attention to you during training. But just know that if you do win and you do come back, you have something waiting for you. And it isn't your family back home. It's me. You and I, we'll be close if you win. You interest me and I like you. We'll have all sorts of fun when you come back from the arena," he whispered.

He dropped his head to my ear. "What?" I asked weakly.

"Win the Games, Miss Antaeus."

He backed away from me and gave me a slight bow for the dance. I returned it with a small curtsy, hoping that my legs wouldn't give out. Seneca folded his hands behind his back and I let out a shaky breath. What the hell had that been about? Why was he so interested in me? I didn't know what I had done to deserve this treatment. I walked back over to the bar and grabbed another drink that was sitting out. Downing it quickly, I could feel my heart pounding inside my chest. What did Seneca mean that we would have all sorts of fun? Whatever it meant, I was sure that it wasn't a good thing.

My stomach was churning painfully. For the first time since I had gotten to the Capitol I didn't want to live through the Games. I didn't want to do all of this talking. I didn't want to come back and have to readjust to normal life. I didn't want to have to live with the pity from my friends. I didn't want to have to see Peeta's bakery and know that he wasn't here anymore. I didn't want to know what Seneca wanted with me when I came back. Maybe the only thing that I wanted was to die in the arena. Be with my parents for the first time in my life. Be happy.

As I put the drink down on the counter, I realized that tears were in my eyes. I blinked them back quickly, hoping that I didn't look like some weak or sniveling Tribute. This was the wrong time to get emotional. I didn't want a lot of things but that was too damn bad. Dying in these Games was selfish. I would get back to my friends and family, I would mourn Peeta, I would eventually see my parents, and I would get used to my normal life again. I would be damned if I let Seneca Crane do anything more to me than he had already done.

So I swiped another drink from the counter and steeled my nerves. It was all so that I would be able to go back onto the dance floor. I'd been avoiding my job tonight for too long. I would head back to Haymitch and Finnick and get back with the Sponsors. I would suck it up and spend this one night doing whatever it was that they needed me to do to keep myself alive. Tipping the drink back, I downed it and slammed it back onto the counter. Just as I turned back to the dance floor I heard a voice call out to me.

"You look like you've been having a bad night," the voice said.

I turned back and saw that it was Thresh who was talking to me. "That's one way of putting it," I said.

We both leaned back on the counter. "Want to dance?" he asked.

My eyebrows shot up to my hairline but I nodded anyways. "Sure. Didn't peg you for much of a dancer," I admitted.

"I'm not. But you might be the one person here that I can dance with and not throttle," he said.

"That's reassuring."

He laughed. It sounded funny. Thresh was a tough man. But he looked nice tonight. He was in a black suit with a crisp white shirt. I took one of his hands as he led me out to the dance floor. I turned to him as we walked to the middle of the dance floor and grabbed his shoulder. He put a hand at my hip. He wasn't a dancer like Seneca but the sway that we fell into was nice. It was much less of a formal dance that I was getting used to. This was nicer. I felt like there was no pressure. We were just two friends dancing together. It didn't feel like in two days we would be fighting for our lives against each other.

"What's made your time here so miserable?" Thresh asked.

"Stupid question," I said, laughing softly.

He smiled again. "It is." I thought back at everything that had happened since I'd been here. We'd be here for the rest of the night if I told him everything that was bothering me. "Come on. Tell me," Thresh urged.

It did surprise me that he wanted to know about my problems. I wondered why he wanted to know what was wrong with me but I decided to take it and stop wondering. If he was willing to listen, I was willing to talk. Laughing at the incredibly long list, I swayed slightly to the side and we changed direction. I saw Cato watching us with a sharp glare but I looked away, not wanting to see him right now.

"What isn't wrong, Thresh? Everything. I volunteered for my best friend's little sister who I love like my own. I don't want to be here but I couldn't watch either one of them die. I lost both of my parents to these Games. I don't want to end up like them. For some reason the Careers have decided that I'm the one that they all want to kill. I looked like a fool on my first day and disappointed everyone and then I acted like a jackass on my second day. During my private session I did something that I shouldn't have. I did get the 12 but now everyone wants to kill me. People are too scared of me so I'm first on all of their lists. Effie is mad at me for what I did, my Mentor is a drunk, another Mentor wants me to win and I don't know why. Seneca Crane seems to like me way too much and so do some Sponsors. Cato wants me dead! But he wants me dead last so that I can suffer. So I do have a lot of shit on my plate. Maybe I'm just being a baby, but I don't know what to do," I groaned.

Dropping my head on his chest for a moment, Thresh backed away and forced me up. He held onto the bottom of my head, making sure that I couldn't look away from him. "Aspen, none of us know what to do. Not even the Careers," Thresh said.

"Of course they do," I argued.

"They don't. Look at them right now? Do they all look prepared?" Thresh asked.

Looking over his shoulder as we rocked from side to side, I scanned the room. My eyes caught Glimmer, who was looking around the yard. I was sure that she was probably hoping to find Cato. Her dress was short and it seemed that most of the Sponsors were giving her an eye and then walking away. They thought that she was pretty, but they didn't think that she had what it took to win. Glancing away from her, I caught sight of Coral. She was currently sitting with a Sponsor. It seemed that he was doing most of the talking and she was merely nodding away. I figured that she wanted to tear his eyes out.

After speaking with a number of them I couldn't blame her. In fact I could hear his loud laugh from across the yard. Marvel was the last of the Careers that I was able to spot. He was surrounded by a few Gamemakers. They all seemed to be intrigued at what he was saying. At first I had thought that he was doing well. It was almost a minute before I saw it. In the corner of his eyes there was a brief flicker of fear. He was afraid of these people. Not that I blamed him. It didn't matter how good we were, if the Gamemakers didn't like us they could kill without a problem.

As I looked across the rest of the yard I failed to spot Cato. He was no longer watching us angrily. I'd thought that he would be with the Sponsors but he was nowhere to be found. A part of me couldn't help but wonder where he was. But it was probably a better thing that I couldn't find him. He couldn't harass me that way. For the most part, all of the Tributes were accounted for. But there were some that I couldn't spot. Maybe they were hiding in the bathrooms.

Finch was dancing with an older man and was politely nodding at him. Rue was sitting with a younger woman who looked absolutely enamored with her. The boy from District 3, Eric, I thought his name was, was dancing with a middle aged woman. The two seemed to be talking strategy. Their heads were low and voices lower. Peeta was out in the yard too. He was dancing with a pretty woman who was maybe a few years older than us. I had figured that he would look happy with her but he looked disgusted. Still, every time that she turned her heavily made up head to him he smiled at her and laughed lightly.

Getting all the way around the room, I looked back at Thresh and sighed. "Some of them look like they know what they're doing. Or maybe it's all just wonderful acting," I said.

Thresh laughed lightly and pulled me into him tightly. "None of us know what we're doing. And if you look around you can see that we're not that good of actors either," he said.

"No. We aren't," I said.

It made up both laugh as I gently leaned against his chest. He would have made a good friend if we had met in another life. I knew that this wasn't good. Part of me felt that I was bonding with Thresh and I knew that it really wasn't a good thing. One of us would have to die in the arena and I didn't want to be the one to kill him. If it came to it he would easily overpower me. It didn't matter that he had told me that he would spare me.

"Then do that, Aspen. Act. Just smile and pretend like you're grateful to them. For everything that they've done for you."

"That might be hard."

"No. Smile and thank them. Now go. Our dance is over," Thresh said.

He pushed me gently away from him and I stumbled into the yard. Briefly, I turned back to Thresh and stuck out my tongue but he only nodded to me. Sighing I walked away and headed to the staircase. I had noticed that it was where Finnick and Haymitch were the last time that I had spotted them. As I began up the marble stairs, I realized that it was where most of the Mentors were milling around. They were allowing us to have the spotlight tonight.

Gloss and Cashmere, District 1 sibling Victors, were standing at the base of the stairs. "Nice dress," Cashmere said.

"Thank you."

"Nice score," Gloss commented.

His attitude was much viler. I paled slightly. "Thank you," I muttered.

Brutus and Enobaria were standing off to the side of the siblings. Enobaria flashed me a brief smile and I took off past them. Her sharpened teeth terrified me. As I walked up the stairs I spotted some other Victors, most of which I had forgotten the names. I did see the Eridan Ampora, the Victor from the last year's Games. He was keeping a close eye on Rue and Thresh. He didn't seem to be their Mentor this year but he obviously cared for them. I could tell that he hadn't been sleeping well. Nightmares, most likely. Nightmares that I would have too if I was the Victor of these Games. But that was a fat chance.

My heel hit the top stair and I began to make my way over to my Mentor. But just as I got within earshot of him I saw both his and Finnick's faces go white. Neither man seemed to be angry with me. Actually they looked scared. I turned to where they were looking and immediately wished that I hadn't. There in front of me was President Snow. He wasn't quite as tall as I had expected. He was maybe only a few inches taller than me in the heels. His hair was pure white and slicked back. He had an odd scent to him. Like roses and... blood? That was disturbing.

He flashed me a quick smile before offering me his hand. My heart was hammering in my chest. I was sure that he could hear it. I knew that it would be polite to take his hand - and a death sentence to refuse it - but I couldn't think or move. I was just in fear of what I should do now. Run, maybe? Not in these heels. Kick him? Well that might be funny for a minute until Peacekeepers hit me.

"Good evening, Miss Antaeus," President Snow said.

"Good evening, President Snow. It's a lovely party," I said, attempting to mind my manners.

"Thank you. How about a dance?"

"My pleasure."

It was anything but my pleasure. I would have rather jammed my heel through his eye socket. His voice was slimy and I wished more than anything that I could say no. The last thing that I wanted to do was touch him. But instead I merely forced a smile on my face. I took Snow by the hand and turned back to Finnick and Haymitch. They were both making motions that were telling me to calm down and chose my words carefully. Both of those suggestions I had already been planning on doing.

Snow pulled me along with him and I turned away from the men that were protecting me. As I walked towards the staircase I caught the eyes of all of the Victors. They were all staring at me, most with pity. They knew that whatever Snow wanted with me, it wasn't good. As I hit the top of the stairs I caught Peeta's eyes. He was staring at me like I'd grown three heads. He walked up the stairs as I headed down and grabbed me by the arm quickly as he walked by. He gave me a quick squeeze and I sent him a panicky smile. As the pair of us made our way down the stairs, every eye in the yard was on us.

All of the Sponsors and Tributes were looking at us, the former with pride and the latter with shock. As we hit the bottom of the stairs I heard Snow ask for a song to be played. I didn't hear what he had asked to listen to. I was too afraid to listen in. I didn't want to hear what he had to say. Thresh was looking at me and I sent him a warning look. For some reason I believed that it was his fault that I had been dragged into this. But I knew that no matter what, if Snow had wanted me to dance with him, he would have found me.

As we walked through the crowd, heading to the middle of the floor, I passed through a few of the Tributes. To my luck it was the Careers. Marvel was looking at me like I was holding a python. It felt like I was in the grip of one. Glimmer was looking at me with a slight jealousy and I nearly screamed at her. If she wanted a dance with the President she could have it. Coral looked at me with an even face, not looking shocked or jealous. Part of me wondered if she ever showed any emotion. Clove was in the corner of the dance floor looking at us curiously. I shook my head at her, letting her know that I hadn't wanted this.

President Snow seemed to be getting where he wanted to go. Just before he did Cato popped into view. He was making his way towards us with a slight worry on his face. Having no other option, I looked at him with sheer panic. Not one part of me cared if he thought that I was weak. I was scared and I wanted this to be over. He walked past us and as he did Snow greeted him. Cato walked past us but before he moved away he caught my arm and leaned down to my ear.

"Calm down," Cato warned.

"I can't!"

"He can't do anything out here. Just be nice and nod," he said.

He let go of my arm and I nodded, unsure if he was looking at me or not. Some part of me hoped that he was. I hoped that they all were. If they were watching there was a better chance that Snow wouldn't kill me. Not that he could. What would they do without a female Tribute for District 12? Like Haymitch had said, it would be a pain to replace me at this stage. We finally stopped walking and I realized that we were in the dead center of the yard. Snow made a quick motion at the band and they began playing a slow ballad. It had a sad rhythm that had no words.

It sounded a little familiar but I ignored it and laid one hand on Snow's shoulder. I took his hand with my spare hand. He was clearly hoping for a more formal dance. I barely knew the steps. Gale had shown me them once but I was sure that I was about to fall over right now. I listened to the rhythm of the music for a moment as we began to twirl. Hopefully we could get this over with quickly and I could run away to puke my guts out. My ears caught the sound of the music and I finally realized what the song was. The Hanging Tree.

I had never heard the song other than when Mr. Everdeen had taught it to Katniss and me when we were kids. And then again when we had taught it to Prim. But we had to be careful with it. Ms. Everdeen would yell at us for hours when she caught us singing it. I would have never thought that President Snow would request that it be played. I didn't even think that he knew what the song was. It was popular in District 12 but I had always thought that it was for the people to rise up. Why would Snow be playing something like that?

"Pretty song, isn't it? I believe that you know it well," President Snow said.

I nodded at him slowly, unsure if this was a trick question or not. "I've heard it before," I said vaguely.

"It's funny what people think that the song means. I always thought of it as one thing. There was once a man that rose up, that wanted nothing more than to destroy the people who fed him. Loved him. Cared for him." I stared at Snow, knowing that he was referring to the Rebellion. "Murdered three the song says later. Three Peacekeepers. People that wanted nothing more than an equal life for everyone." Lies. "I think that this man did nothing more than hang himself. Knowing that his crimes were heinous. Knowing that he did not deserve to live after the corruption of the peace."

I wanted to strangle him. But I couldn't. It was only smart to feed his ego. Let him know that I agreed with whatever it was that he was saying. "I suppose songs mean different things to different people," I said.

"You know, I was there during the Rebellion. Only a child but I remember it. I remember all of the fires. The fighting. The deaths. It's why these Games exist. It's why you're here right now. You may thank your ancestors for that. They deserved the death that they got. And you know that." There was a glint in his snake-like eyes. I nodded at him as my eyes narrowed into small slits. "Come now, Aspen. Say something. Tell my how you feel."

All sorts of comments rose to my mind but nothing was acceptable to say. If Snow wanted me to say something then I would. But he might not like it. "You're right. There is a lot that I have to be thankful for. My friends. My family that took me in when I had no one else. The people in District 12 that all take care of each other. But there is nothing that I have the Capitol to thank for," I snarled.

"Why is that?"

"They have done nothing to prove that they love us. Every damn day people starve to death in District 12. They die of thirst because the water isn't clean enough to drink. Both my friend and I nearly died from a bad year with crops. I had to turn to hunting, which is illegal by the way."

"I'm aware."

"It was the only thing that I could do to not starve. Every day I risked my ass just so that I could feed myself and my family. I've been put down by your Peacekeepers for what happened to my family. Something that you did. I never even got to know them. I take out Tessera every year just so I can support my family. My name was in the Reaping ball more times than you could imagine. But I didn't get Reaped. Instead my best friend's sister did. Her name was in there once."

"That's the point of chance."

My blood was boiling. "What did she do to deserve this? If I die here, what did she deserve to feel guilty for my death for the rest of her life? If you want a show, I can damn well promise you one. But don't say that I didn't warn you that you won't like it," I growled.

Immediately I regretted everything I had said. He would probably kill me for saying something that no one else would dare to say to him. Instead he smiled at me and laughed. "Now, Aspen, don't be like that. If you win, you'll have everything that you've ever wanted," he said.

"My parents are dead. You can't give me them back," I said.

"No. But we gave you a new one. You can thank your new family for everything that they've done for you. Let's get past that. I know what you did in the private training. I see what all of the Tributes do. But I must say that you caught my attention. Throwing a knife at my Gamemakers? Almost killing Seneca Crane?"

"I knew where I was aiming. I wasn't going to hit them," I argued.

"You know that I can have you killed for that? Right now there are Peacekeepers surrounding you." I began to look around but Snow only laughed. "Don't bother looking for them. You won't see them. They've all had their guns on you. This entire night. Fingers on the trigger. They were waiting on my command to shoot. I haven't decided if I'll give the signal or not. That all depends on you," he explained.

"On me?" I asked.

"Yes. If you're willing to play by the rules. Are you?" Snow asked.

"Yes," I said, my entire body numb as we twirled around.

"Good. But I still have my eye on you. I like you, Aspen. I want us to be friends. Being my friend comes with benefits."

Snow released one hand from my upper back and pulled out a small pad. I looked on it and saw that it was a video surveillance of everyone back home. Katniss, Prim, Ms. Everdeen, and Gale were all on the camera. They were watching the television. It was a live stream of the party. It was currently showing Caesar, who seemed to be talking about the party. They were watching my family. I knew by the look of the video that he had guns trained on them. Tearing my head away from the screen I looked back up at Snow to see that he was smiling at me.

"Whatever you want. Just leave them out of it," I growled.

He smiled and slipped the camera back into his pocket. He returned his hand to my back and our dance started again. "Good. Now I want you to know, Aspen. I want you to know why you received that 12 in training. Not because your routine was worth it - though it probably was. No. You are now the number one threat between your other Tributes and you're loved by Sponsors. Seneca and I won't have to do anything to you in the arena. We'll let the kids take care of you. They all hate you. Look around. They're all itching to get to you right as the countdown hits zero. May the odds be ever in your favor," he said.

There was a nasty grin on his face. I danced through the last chorus with him and turned my eyes to the band. Their instruments were quieting but I was hearing the lyrics loud and clear in my head. Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree. Goosebumps began to raise on my skin and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. The song ended and President Snow dropped my hand. He let his hand fall from my back as he bowed slightly to me. I gave him a small curtsy and turned on my heel as quickly as possible.

As I headed for the bathrooms Marvel began to walk towards me. I groaned. Not now. I couldn't handle this right now. I needed to get out of here. I tried to dodge him but he expected it. He caught me in a corner and I knew that I was trapped. But just as he was about to say something Cato shoved him out of the way. Marvel looked like he wanted to argue, but one look from the larger Tribute and he walked off in defeat. I thanked Cato softly and went to walk past him. Just as I got parallel with him he caught my arm.

"No, Cato. I can't right now. Please... just let me go. I need to get out of here," I cried softly.

"Walk, Twelve."

"Please let me go."

"Move."

No matter what I said it seemed that he didn't care. It wasn't something that surprised me. He ignored my cries and brought me out onto the floor again. He grabbed one of my hands and I tried to rip it from him, but his crushing grip made me stop struggling. He placed his other hand on my hip and I sighed, finally letting him. The dance began and I was shocked at how well Cato danced. Perhaps those special academies offered a class in dancing. That was what it seemed like. He leaned into my ear and I was tempted to punch him. Instead I laid a hand on his chest - unable to reach his shoulder - and listened.

"Snow is still watching you. Don't let him make you look weak," Cato said.

"You didn't hear him," I said, my voice cracking.

"I saw him show something to you. Your chances of winning, maybe?" Cato asked, a bright smile on his face.

It was a hit at the fact that I still had a lower chance of surviving than him. "My family," I said, my voice cracking again.

"I thought that they were -"

"The Everdeen's. Gale, too. He'll kill them."

Cato's face fell. He recovered quickly. "He won't hurt them. It's a scare tactic. Come on 12, smile. Don't look like your puppy just got shot," he said.

"I hate animals," I growled.

"No one hates animals," Cato responded.

"I do."

He swatted me on the back and I scowled at him. My eyes rolled almost into the back of my head. We'd barely been together for a minute before he'd managed to make me angry. I hated animals. That stupid damn cat that Prim had brought home, Buttercup. The music had picked up to a faster dance now and I was prepared to fall over. I managed to keep my balance as Cato flung me around the floor I let my mind slink away from the party and I pretended that I was back in District 12.

I stared imagining that it was my father that I was dancing with and that we were out in the woods. The two of us were on a hunting trip together. He loved me and I loved him. We were the centers of each other's world. Cato dipped my slightly and I laughed. He was a good dancer. He pulled me back up and spun me right into his chest. I laughed against him, opening my eyes to realize that we were just inches from each other. Cato had a smirk on his face and the smile quickly dropped off mine. It looked like he had a rude comment to make and I didn't want to hear it. Not right now.

But there was something that I wanted to hear from him. "Why are you actually helping me tonight? And why do you keep talking to me?" I asked, with a scowl on my face.

No matter what he did I just couldn't trust him. His face fell slightly as we twirled across the floor. I had to hand it to Cato. If he made it out of these Games I was sure that he would make some girl very happy one day. Almost as soon as the thought crossed my mind I wanted to slap myself. How could I think something like that? He was a horrible and mean person that wanted nothing more than to torture me until I was dead. What sane girl would like something like that?

"I told you, Twelve, I like you. Plus what fun would it be if Snow killed you before I got the chance?" he asked.

"Charming."

My eyes scanned across the rest of the mansion as I looked over the servers in the white suits. I hadn't seen a single one of them speak since arriving at the Capitol. Maybe it was a rule. That was when I saw her. The dark red hair, the striking features, and the porcelain white skin. I knew her. At the same moment I felt my insides contracting with anxiety and guilt. While I couldn't pull it up I knew that some bad memory was associated with her. We met eyes. The expression of terror that crossed her face only added to my confusion and unease. She shook her head in denial quickly and hurried away.

"What are you staring at?" Cato asked.

"Her," I said, watching her move.

"The Avox?"

"What's an Avox?" I asked stupidly.

"It's someone who committed a crime. They cut out their tongues so that they can't speak," Cato explained.

Bile rose in my throat and I was glad that I hadn't eaten. "Oh..." I muttered. "But I know her."

"Don't be stupid. You don't know an Avox," Cato hissed.

It wasn't just him. There was something panicked in his voice. It was at the same moment that a Peacekeeper walked past us. I knew what his urgency was for. There was something wrong about this whole thing. I wasn't supposed to know her. It was dangerous. So we lapsed into a silence as we danced and I desperately tried not to think about the Avox girl. I glanced back at his face and noticed that his eyes were locked onto my chest. Scowling at him I cleared my throat and he slowly raised his eyes to mine. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was blatantly looking down my dress.

"See something that you like?" I asked.

He laughed slightly and tightened his hold on me. I could tell that he was happy that I'd changed the subject from something so dark to something a little lighter. With strong arms, he pulled me into him so that my chest flattened against his. His tight grip was almost painful. With the heels I was just a few inches shorter than him. He still towered over me but it wasn't as staggering of a gap.

"Of course. I never said that you were hideous, did I?" Cato asked.

"You've certainly never given me a compliment."

"Come on, Aspen. There's no point in not making our relationship any fun. There's a private patio around the back."

"That's romantic," I scoffed.

"Come on. You were the one that was determined to come out on top. Let's see if you can."

Cato's eyes were glinting a dangerous blue. They were so dark that they were almost black. I couldn't believe that he was suggesting that we go and do that. I had only had my first kiss a few days ago. Even though it seemed like an eternity. There was no denying that he was good looking but there was no way that I was ready for something like that. Even if I was it sure as hell wouldn't be with the guy that was ready to kill me. Since he was playing nice with me I would tease him. Taking a step forward, the slit in my dress rose to the top of my thigh. Cato looked down and watched as the slit made my entire leg visible.

"That what you tell all the girls?" I asked, with a small smirk.

He smirked and let his hand slip from my back to my thigh briefly. I wanted to pretend that the touch had been nothing short of disgusting but there had been a sharp tingle in my body. One that I had never felt before. Not with any dance partner or any guy that I talked with back in District 12. Not even the kiss with Gale had given me a tingle like that. I just kept telling myself that I was shocked that he was being so forward with me. No guy had ever talked to me like that before.

"Only the ones that intrigue me," he said, with a straight face.

"And I intrigue you?" I asked.

"You do."

"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I told you earlier, Aspen. I wish that I would have gotten to meet you earlier. I think we would have been good friends." My face fell. I actually hadn't known that. "That's not the way that this happened. We're both strong. We'll make it to the end and one of us will kill the other. And it will be me who wins," he said.

I stared at him with a blank face. I had no clue that he actually liked me. As much as it pained me to admit, some part of me liked him too. We were like the friends that constantly competed with each other and had to be right. It was the same thing that I felt about Peeta and Thresh. I was getting too close to them and I would never be able to kill them. Cato was different. I wanted to kill him but I wasn't sure that I would be able to. I almost liked him.

"Don't be so sure about that," I finally responded.

For a moment I had thought that the next thing that he would say would be nice but it was anything else. "Don't worry. Little Prim won't watch. They wouldn't let her would they?" he asked.

"Don't you dare talk about her."

"Don't get so upset. They wouldn't. When the Victory Tour comes around and I make my way to District 12 I'll be nice. They'll throw me a banquet and I'll get to talk to them. I'll tell them how strong their little girl was. How much she wanted to win. But she just couldn't do it. She was too weak. Even from the beginning, no matter how hard she fought, there was no way that she could win," Cato said, with a smirk.

"Fuck you," I snarled, my profanity a little worse than it normally was.

That was just what Cato could manage to do to me. I tried to shove away from him but he was too strong. He had an iron grip on my back and he was laughing as I struggled to get away from him. He knew that he had me outweighed. With a smile, he let go of my hand and put his on the back of my head. What the hell was he doing to me? I tried to pull away again, but he was holding me firmly in place. Without any form of a warning, Cato pulled my face to his and our lips met.

It wasn't a sweet and soft kiss like that one that Gale had given me. It was rough. His lips moved harshly against mine. I stood like an ice sculpture, frozen solid. My hand was still placed on his chest and I had no idea where to go. I tried to move away again but he had a vice grip on me. As his head tilted back slightly I realized that he had been drinking too. I tasted a heavy liquor on his lips. Part of me wondered if that was why he had said the things about liking me. Or if that was why he was kissing me. Finally he pulled away from me and for a moment I actually wanted him to come back.

I'd never even gotten the chance to respond to the kiss. But that moment passed quickly. Now that I was back in the real world I heard the clicks of cameras and saw the flashes of light. The reporters had gotten in. There were voices yelling at me from every direction and I knew that I had messed up. I should have never let Cato pull me into a dance. There were already rumors that the two of us had something going. All this did was add fuel to the fire. Everyone back home would see this. I looked like a hypocrite. I had kissed the boy that I had sworn that I would kill. Cato smiled as the dance ended.

He pulled me in closely to him. "What the hell was that?" I asked.

"A kiss. Honestly, Twelve. That couldn't have been your first one?" he asked.

It wasn't but I didn't want to tell him that. "You..."

"Have fun with them. They'd much rather get the details from you. Oh and lay off the drinks. I can taste them," he said, a small smile on his lips. I stared at him as he backed away. Just before he turned away from me, he looked over and smiled. "By the way, you look lovely tonight."

It was loud enough that the cameras could catch it. As he walked away from me, I went to follow him. The gap between us quickly closed with reporters. My eyes darted to every corner to try to find a way out of the crowd but there was no opening. I could spot Haymitch and Finnick at the back of the crowd. They were both trying to break the crowd to get to me but it was no use. Glimmer was in the corner of the crowd giving me a look that could kill. I could see that Clove was stomping away from me, hopefully going to kill Cato.

Both Brutus and Enobaria were at the base of the stairs, laughing with each other as they pointed to me. Thresh was standing with Rue, both looking at me in shock. Even Coral looked surprised at the turn of events. As my eyes passed to the top of the staircase I spotted President Snow. He had a vile grin on his face, clearly pleased with the kiss. Cato was there too with Marvel at his side. Marvel was blabbering on, most likely about what had just happened, but it was obvious that Cato wasn't paying any attention to him. Instead his eyes were glued onto mine. He looked pleased with himself.

Getting hit by a reporter, I was shocked back into reality. The reporters were swarming around me and I had nowhere to go. They were screaming all sorts of questions at me and I couldn't focus long enough on one. I knew that the liquor was finally taking effect as the world began to spin. The stress wasn't helping either. It felt like I was about to spill my insides but I fought to keep everything down. As the flashes began to seem brighter my vision began to spot. It felt like someone was suffocating me and I knew what was happening to me. I was having a panic attack.

I tried to make my way back through the crowd but they were all corralling me inside of the circle. I was doing everything that I could not to pass out, puke, or cry. A hand grabbed my arm and I nearly screamed. When I turned I realized that it was Peeta. He had made it through the crowd. He grabbed my arm and pulled me away. As we fought our way through the crowd he pulled me out and into the floor again. We were on the edge of the floor and he was holding me up. The reporters tried to follow us but it was no use. The Peacekeepers were pushing them back into their allotted spaces.

"Calm down. Calm down. Don't let them see that he got to you."

"I didn't know that he would -"

"I know. I know."

"Peeta, please, let's find Haymitch. I need to get out of here," I cried.

There was no breath left in my lungs as Peeta patted me on the back and slowly rocked us from side to side. "Not yet Aspen, okay?" he asked.

"Please."

"There's one song left. Just make it through this one. And then we can go. It won't look good if you go now."

He was right about that. So I nodded at Peeta and twirled slowly with him. The music was soft, but it wasn't the music that I was focused on. It was everything else. Seneca Crane was at the top of the stairs talking with President Snow. The two looked like they were planning and the looks that they were giving me made my stomach roll. Glimmer was dancing with Cato and he looked like he was doing everything in his power not to strangle her. Every chance that he got, he would look over her shoulder and try to catch my eye. But every time he looked at me I would look away.

Marvel was dancing with Clove and the two were chatting calmly about something. Probably me, judging from the looks that they were giving me. Rue was dancing with Thresh and the sight calmed me slightly. They looked almost like father and daughter. Haymitch was standing with Effie and Finnick. The three of them were urgently talking to each other. Most of the Sponsors and Capitol people were looking back and forth between Cato and me, but I refused to show them that he had shaken me.

Instead I let the music move me as I danced around the floor with Peeta. He was laughing at me as we twirled around the dance floor. Finally I let a smile cross my face. Being here with him made me feel so much better. I could pretend that we were back in District 12, dancing under the moonlight. The floor was clearing as we took even more of the floor. We were having fun dancing around. We probably looked like fools but it didn't matter. I wanted both the Capitol and Cato to know that they couldn't take my happiness away. The music stopped and both Peeta and I gave a deep bow to each other.

There was a small clapping and I blushed as I walked away from the floor. With the guests exiting, I took Peeta's hand and walked over to where I had last seen Effie and Haymitch. The pair were still standing at the staircase with Finnick nowhere in sight. Both Peeta and I walked up to the pair and smiled at them. At least Peeta did. I knew that I would be raked over the coals once we were in private. Effie grabbed Peeta by the shoulders and walked him out first. Haymitch grabbed me by the shoulder after that and walked me to the staircase.

"Don't worry about anything right now. Just smile and pretend that you're okay," Haymitch said.

I nodded at him and let him guide me up the stairs. As we hit the top of the stairs, I began to hear the screams of the reporters again. Internally I was panicking but on the outside I was smiling. The reporters yelled to me as I descended the second set of stairs. I held my head high. This time I heard the yells. They were all over the place.

"What's going on between you and Cato?"

"Why the kiss?"

"Who insinuated it?"

"What will happen when you get into the Games?"

"Will you be able to fight him?" Fight him, no. Kill him, yes.

"How did it start?"

"Is it love?" Yeah, I'd love to kill him.

The last question nearly threw me. "What about the boy back in District 12?"

No part of me was prepared for that question. I stumbled but held my head high. I didn't need to give any explanation to these people. They wouldn't like the one that they got. We hit the bottom of the stairs and climbed into the car that was waiting for us. Effie jumped into the car first followed by Peeta. Haymitch held out a hand to let me inside and I quickly jumped in. Haymitch got in afterwards and took a seat next to me. The door closed and the car immediately drove off. Effie closed the door that separated our sitting area from the driver. I sucked in a breath of air, knowing that it was about to come.

As she sat back down all eyes turned to me, but it was Haymitch that spoke. "I watched the whole thing. I'm not going to yell at you." I let out a breath. "Now I have to think of what I want you to say when they ask you about the kiss. And they will. That's for damn sure," Haymitch said.

"Can't we just ignore it?" I asked.

"The Capitol reporters are like leeches. Ignoring it will make it worse. We have to say something," Haymitch said.

"We can tell them that Cato sprung it on her," Peeta suggested.

"He could counter back with a different story. I'll think about it. I don't know what to do now. They'll be crawling all over the place to know about what's going on. Everyone will have seen the videos, pictures, and everything else that they have on the two of you. Cato more than likely did it for the publicity and the hope that the attention would shake you," Haymitch continued.

"It did," I muttered.

"All of your friends and everyone back home will have seen this. Damn it... They'll probably say something about your parents' deaths too. They were both killed by the District 2 male. What do you say? Damn it!" Haymitch yelled.

His hand hit a glass and it flew across the limo. With the padded walls it didn't smash but the impact still made me jump. I hadn't thought that what had happened would really be that big of a deal. I'd thought that it was just something to throw me off for tonight. Thankfully President Snow's mansion wasn't far from the training center. As the car pulled up I jumped out of the car, feeling stone cold. Peeta was next and he grabbed my hand as we stepped over to the elevator.

"It'll be okay," he whispered.

"It's so damn far from okay that it's not even funny," I hissed.

None of this was his fault. He'd been trying to help me. But I couldn't help what I was saying. I was angry and humiliated. I hit the button for the elevator and waited for the doors to open. Once they did the four of us walked inside and each of us took a spot at the corners of the elevator. The tension was too high from the limo and no one wanted to say anything. Once more I felt my heart rate start to increase. I nearly sprinted out of the elevator when it hit the twelfth floor. I heard the calls from Peeta and Effie but I ignored them.

Running down the hallway, I ran into the door that led to the roof and dashed up the stairs. My head was spinning from the few glasses of alcohol I'd had. Or maybe it was just the exhaustion. As my heels hit each of the steps I felt my ankles roll but I ignored it. Tears began to rise to my eyes as I hit the roof, but the sight of another figure sitting at the ledge made me sober up. I turned to head back to my room but the figure had clearly heard me running up the stairs.

"Don't bother leaving, Aspen. Come here. I want to talk to you," Finnick called.

I wondered how he had beaten us here, but it didn't matter. I walked over and took a seat with him on the ledge. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. I smiled at him weakly but it was no use. My smile fell immediately and he grabbed me. Pulling me into a hug, I thanked him quietly and sat back up. I watched the billboard across the street as it advertised for this year's Games. The first image was a group photo of all of the Tributes. It was a cropped together picture of the ones that were shown when we were given our scores. The next pictures cycled quickly.

They were brief video clips that showed the Reapings of all of the Tributes. The next was a video of the Tribute Parade. After that was a quick showing of Cato and Thresh at training. Marvel popped up next with his spear throwing. There was even a video of Clove and I knife throwing. After that my picture popped up with a large 12 next to it. They were amazed that a Tribute had finally scored a 12. To my surprise after that came a picture of Cato and me locked in the kiss. We both actually looked to be enjoying it. Great. The caption below read 'Star Crossed Lovers.'

Shaking my head at the billboard, I looked away and caught that Finnick had been gauging my reactions the entire time. "I thought you might not like that one. These assholes up here work fast. Don't worry," he said.

"How can I not?" I asked.

"Haymitch and I will figure out how to flip this and make it look like something good. If nothing else, just say that you weren't expecting it. The whole thing will make it look like he was chasing after you and it makes you look desirable."

Finnick smiled to himself, clearly proud of his plan. But why was he including himself? I still couldn't figure out why he was helping me. The curiosity was killing me. I had to know. "Why are you helping me?" I asked.

It hadn't been rude, I just wanted to know why. He had two Tributes that he was supposed to be helping. He smiled off into the distance and laughed. He reached down into his shirt and pulled out a small necklace. I leaned over to look at it. It was a gold locket with a pretty anchor on the front. I nearly laughed. It was so District 4. He opened it and showed me inside. There was a picture of a pretty red-headed girl in it. For a moment I was shocked. Finnick Odair actually had someone that he loved? I had thought that he would be a bachelor forever. I took the locket from him and looked closer at it.

Finally it hit me who the girl was. I had been younger but I remembered her well. More that I remembered her screams, I supposed. Annie Cresta. She had been a District 4 Tribute a long time ago. Finnick had only been mentoring a few years. She witnessed a District 2 Tribute behead her District partner. The sight of it had driven her mad but she had still won when they flooded the arena and she outlasted the others. She was absolutely helpless now. I had never known that Finnick was in love with her. But I guessed that was the way that it was supposed to be. It still didn't explain why he was helping me.

"She's why I'm helping you," Finnick said.

"I don't understand," I admitted.

He smiled at me and laughed. "That and because we both have something in similar, Aspen. Haymitch does too. He just won't ever admit it," Finnick said quietly. "I know you think that he's a bitter old drunk, and he is, but he had a reason to be. After he won the Games, the Capitol was so angry that he had made a fool out of them by using their force field against them. As a way to repay him, they took everything from him. The girl that he loved at the time and his family. He lost everything after his Games, Aspen. I did too. The Capitol killed my family too. Because a fourteen year old beat their system. And I know that they are the reason that you lost your parents too."

"I didn't know that. About Haymitch's family or yours. I'm sorry," I said.

"That's alright. I had time to know mine. You never had that luxury. As for Annie, you remind me so much of her. The same attitude and the same strengths. The same everything. I don't want to see what happened to her happen to you. I want you to live out the rest of your life in happiness. My male Tribute? I know that he won't win. He doesn't have it in him. And my female? She doesn't deserve to win. You do, and I will do whatever I need to make sure that you do," he said.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He nodded at me and smiled. "You're welcome. You should be getting to bed now. It isn't long before the Games. Tomorrow is the Interviews," he said.

"What do I say in them?"

"I'll talk with Haymitch before he gets to sit down with you so that we can control these rumors. Go on now," he said.

It left no room for argument. And now that we were back I found that I was exhausted. So I nodded at him and stood up, walking back over to the other edge of the roof. Just before I hit the door I turned back to Finnick. I wasn't sure what I had been planning to say but it died in my throat. He was looking down and mumbling something to the picture of Annie. Feeling like I was intruding on something private, I turned around and walked back through the door into the penthouse.

For a moment I debated walking into the living room and sitting with everyone. But that stopped when I heard that the news was on. I hid and listened to it for a while. Every damned story was about me. How I had danced with Seneca Crane. How I had danced with President Snow. How I had danced with the Sponsors. How I had danced with the strongest Tributes. The kiss that I had shared with Cato. The man that I had waiting for me back home. It was a Capitol entertainment show that was hosted by a bunch of leeches. The topic tonight was how Aspen Antaeus was sleeping her way to becoming a Victor.

"What the hell was she thinking?" Haymitch asked.

"He surprised her," Effie defended.

"Not just with Cato. All of them. I'm trying so hard to keep her alive and it seems like she only wants to undo everything that I've done. The Capitol now either loves her or thinks she's some whore. She'll be the first to die at this rate," Haymitch said.

Effie seemed to say something back to him but I didn't stick around long enough to hear what it was. I ran back into my room and nearly smashed through the door. I walked slowly over to my bed and kicked the heels that I was wearing off, tearing the clip that held them up. I reached around to the back of the dress and yanked down the zipper. As it fell, I grabbed the fabric and tossed it across the room. It was one of Cinna's designs and I had a feeling that it was rather precious to him, but I couldn't stand to have it near me.

Not when I had gone from the most loved to most laughed at Tribute while I'd been wearing it. I wanted no memory of this night. I knew that there was gold powder all over me and my hair, not to mention the makeup all over my face, but it didn't matter. I fell onto the bed in my underwear and flopped under the sheets. I was thinking about everything that had happened tonight. Everything that had happened had destroyed what I had managed to do in two days. I was now the most hated Tribute and everyone back home probably hated me too. I could only imagine what Katniss and Gale thought of me right now.

They probably thought that I was utter trash. What would happen if I did something that Snow didn't like? Would he really kill them? Would they die hating me? The worst thing was that I had no idea what I thought about Cato. Even after everything that he'd done I wanted to hate him but some part of me couldn't. And that was what worried me. Was I actually beginning to like him? Not a damn chance in hell. He had caused me too much trouble. I had to kill him. If nothing else, for Mom and Dad. My head hit the pillows and, for the first time since I had broken my arm when I was six, I cried.


	8. Chapter Eight

Rolling away from the light that was pouring into my room, I flipped over onto my stomach and fell out of the bed. Falling ass over heels I hit the floor with a thud and cracked my head against the dresser. It was not one of my finer moments. Shakily I stood up shouting expletives at the top of my lungs. My head was throbbing from the impact. I was sure that the people on the first floor could hear me but I didn't care. That had hurt worse than Cato's elbow to the nose. I heard Peeta call into the room and ask if I was okay but I ignored him.

Stumbling over to the bathroom with one hand over my left eye, I flipped the lights on and looked in the mirror. Had I not known any better I would have thought that the person in the mirror was someone else. My hair was ruffled over the top of my head looking like I was wearing a puffy hat. There was a slowly developing blue mark from where I had just hit my head. At least it matched my eyes. My eyes were what startled me the most. They looked like they had sunken back as far as they could from my cheeks. They were a bright red from crying last night and looked puffy.

Even better was that my nose was a bright red from sniffling. So were my cheeks. Basically I looked like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer had gone crash flight testing last night. I remembered hearing about the old holiday symbol in one of our history classes around what used to be the holidays. My lips turned downwards in a frown. I groaned to myself and looked away from the mirror. It was doing nothing to help. I was just picking myself apart. Peeling my underwear off I stepped into the shower and sighed at the warmth of the water. I would miss these showers when I went into the arena.

Tomorrow, I realized. In twenty-four hours I would be making my way to the arena. In twenty four hours, I very well might be dead. But there was no use thinking like that right now. I had to ignore the fact that the other Tributes didn't like me and I had to put aside what I thought that my friends might be thinking of me back home. Chances were that half of us would be dead tomorrow. I wouldn't be one of them. The only thing that I could think of was the fact that I had Sponsors backing me and I had two people here that were both rooting for me.

Haymitch hadn't talked with me much about my strategy for the Games yet. I assumed that he just wanted me to be as friendly as possible before I went into the arena and could no longer plead my case on why the Capitol citizens should Sponsor me. In the meantime I had been thinking about my plan once the countdown ended. The plan was simple for the Games. Get the hell away from the Cornucopia. That was where half of the Tributes will die. Maybe I would pick up a bag if I was lucky but luck was never really on my side.

The only thing that mattered was that I stayed away from the majority of the Tributes. I had to avoid Cato. Hopefully Thresh or Marvel would pick him off. I would stay away from Peeta too. I knew that there was no chance in hell that I would be able to kill him. He was my friend now. If things went according to plan I would hide from all of the Tributes, lay low in the Games, and only step out when it was down to the end. Having saved my strength I would be able to win. It was a simple plan but the question was, could I do it?

Clicking the dial to the water off I stepped out of the shower and onto the drying pad. As always, goosebumps rose onto my skin at the warmth. As the air went down I raised a hand to my hair. It was dry and flowing, just as I had expected. I wiped the mirror off and looked into it again. With just the shower I already looked one hundred times better. The only thing was that my eyes were still red and the bruise from hitting my head was showing full force. Hopefully Cinna had something for it.

Walking into the bedroom, I looked in the dresser and pulled out the first non-offensive looking thing that I found. It was a flowing white top and short blue jean shorts. They were perfect for the day. I would be able to relax until it was time for me to get ready for the Interviews. Seeing as how I'd been given the full treatment by my Prep Team last night I hoped to go straight to Cinna tonight. He would do everything that my Prep Team normally did. Haymitch had told me that much. My hair, nails, and skin along with the rest of my outfit. The girly part of me couldn't wait to see what he had made for me tonight.

His costumes were always so gorgeous. They were things that I had never imagined that I would be able to wear. Despite being ready to step out onto the stage tonight, I was still shaken from last night. Seneca had put me on edge and it was far more than for the fact that he was the Head Gamemaker. And then there had been the dance with President Snow. Would he really kill my family? Yes. He had done it to both Finnick and Haymitch and he would just as easily do it to me.

And then there was everything that had happened with Cato. He had kissed me. The worst part had been that I had liked it. As much as I really wanted to pretend that it had repulsed me. All night I had laid in bed and thought about it. And the decision had been one that I hadn't liked. I had enjoyed his kiss. But that didn't make it okay. It made it everything but okay. Tonight I was sure that Caesar would ask me about it. And I had no idea what I would say to him when he did.

Rolling my eyes at myself I walked out into the hallway and made my way over to the table. Effie greeted me but she didn't even look up from fixing her makeup. I probably should have greeted her back, but instead I sat down and shoveled bacon into my mouth. If today was the last day that I could eat a real meal, then damn it I would. Effie glanced at what I was eating and looked like she might barf, but she turned away and ignored my meal.

"Oh, Haymitch!" Effie called, making me look up. He was walking in and looked like he had a serious hangover. Still, right when he saw my eyes he straightened up. "You should join us. We're having some of your favorite dish."

He rolled his eyes at her and sat down at the table. I felt his hand rest on my knee and he gave it a gentle squeeze. I looked over at him and smiled. "Oh, lovely," he told Effie.

He grabbed a small piece of toast. I knew that his small touch had been his way of apologizing last night. I wanted to eat more but suddenly I felt sick. It was finally kicking in that I was going to be in the Games tomorrow. And there was a damn good chance that I would have to kill someone that I didn't want to. Maybe even Cato. No matter the training scores said, he was still more likely to win than me. I picked at the food for about ten minutes before I glanced around. Peeta had asked me if I was alright earlier but now he was nowhere to be found. Had he already eaten and was waiting in his room now?

I wouldn't have blamed him if he was. "Where's Peeta?" I finally asked.

Haymitch looked over to me and nodded his head back to the hallway. "He's in his room," he said, confirming what I had been thinking. "Now listen... Today you'll be with Effie and me. Tomorrow will be the Interviews."

"Tomorrow?" I asked, surprised.

"That's how it works. You prepare with us today and the Interviews are tomorrow."

"I thought that they were tonight."

"No. Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren't. We normally get a day to prepare for the Interviews without training to interrupt us. This is a good thing. Trust me," Haymitch said. I knew that it was. It just put another twenty-four hours in between me and the Games. "You'll be with us all day and spend most of tomorrow with Cinna," Haymitch explained.

"Okay."

"Tomorrow's the last day you really have here. Two days from now you'll be going into the Games," Haymitch said.

Even though I'd been given an extra twenty-four hours I knew that the Games were still approaching quickly. Twenty-four hours really wasn't that much time. I would have to make the most out of my extra day that I could. My eyes immediately rose to meet his when he said that. Even now I could hear the clock ticking away the seconds. The beginning of the Games were coming closer and closer. My extra day was already ticking away.

"Tomorrow they let us walk with our own Tributes right before the game so you and I will be going down at nine," he said.

"Okay."

Nine o'clock. That was a little later than some years. There was one year that they started the Games a few hours early to surprise the Tributes. Some of them were so drowsy when the Games started that they were easily butchered by the Careers. It had been a brutal Bloodbath. At least it meant that the Games would be starting at ten in the morning this year. They would have enough time to get us over to the arena. We would then head into the Catacombs, where we would wait for the start of the Games. I wasn't really sure what would happen when we got down there. Two days from now I would know.

I glanced over to the empty chair at my left and looked back over to Haymitch. "Well, what about him?" I asked, pointing over to the chair that was normally occupied by Peeta.

Haymitch audibly sighed. He tilted his head and shook it. "No, he says he wants to be trained on his own from now on," Haymitch finally told me.

My heart dropped into my stomach and I had to fight the urge to run over to Peeta's room and ask what the hell was he thinking. All this time I had thought that we were in this together. That was what he had made me think. Some part of me felt like I had been betrayed. Part of me hoped that it was only a misunderstanding on my part, or that he had been forced to do it, but the smarter part of me knew that it had been Peeta's own choice.

"What?" I asked.

He knew that I was upset. I figured that Haymitch would tell me to get over it and move on, but there was sympathy in his eyes. "It's a kind of thing that does happen at this point if there's only one winner. Right?" Haymitch asked, clearly hoping that I understood this whole thing.

"Yeah," I muttered.

And some part of me did understand it. I couldn't say that I blamed him. It told me that he was thinking that we were friends, just the same way that I was. I could tell that he was trying to keep Peeta and I apart anyways. As much as he seemed to not care, I knew that he didn't want to make this any harder on us than it was. Sensing the tension in the room, Effie cleared her throat and pushed forward a plate of something that I had never seen before. It would have been smart for me to eat but I had lost my appetite.

"We should have some chocolate covered stoke," Effie said, with a cheesy grin.

The good part was that I probably wasn't the only Tribute who wasn't eating right now. Some of the other Tributes whose scores hadn't been quite so high were probably puking their guts out right now. Effie and Haymitch both ate in silence for a few minutes before the latter turned to me and caught my eyes. I was sure that he was going to tell me to head to my room and get myself mentally prepared for what was to come in the Interviews tomorrow, until they were ready to talk to me later, but what he said was even more horrifying than prep for the Games.

"Today you'll spend about four hours with both Effie and me. You and Peeta will trade off between the two of us. I'll help you find an angle to play on during the Interviews and I'll help you figure out what to say. Effie will teach you proper etiquette during the Interviews and she'll help you learn to walk in heels. You're with me first," Haymitch said.

Haymitch stood from the table and I sat in my chair for a moment, dumbfounded. Four hours? Great. I groaned at thought of being alone with these two dingbats all day. Neither of them were particularly bad, but these days my patience was wearing thin. Haymitch led me into his room and I glanced around. It looked much more lived in than mine, but I supposed that was because he had spent much more time here than I did. There were bottles all over the room and I smiled at the few books that he had. It was obvious that Haymitch wasn't stupid. He was just sad and drunk.

We walked over to the table that was in the middle of the room and took a seat. There were recordings all over the table and plenty of paperwork too. Most of the papers had mine and Peeta's names on them. From the looks of it, they were all medical records. Not that that would do them much good. All I had was a birth certificate. I had never been to the doctors before. I couldn't afford it. As I was reading over Peeta's papers Haymitch pushed the pile away and I glanced at him.

"Let's go over it again. The Interviews will be tomorrow night and I'll be taking you to the hovercraft the next morning. Repeat it," Haymitch ordered.

"Interviews tomorrow night. Games the morning after," I said, bored and grouchy.

"You have forty-six hours before the Games begin and you're taken out of the Capitol. We have that long to make you the Tribute that the Capitol people want to see at the Closing Ceremony. We'll start with the angle that we can play for you. I'll be Caesar and you just be yourself, but edge in the angle that I give you," Haymitch instructed.

"Okay."

"With the 12 that you got in training, ruthless will be easy to play for you."

I nervously wrung my hands but nodded for Haymitch to start anyways. "Alright," I said awkwardly.

I sucked at talking to people but hopefully I could fake my way through this. "So, Aspen, you are the first Tribute ever to get a 12 in training, how did you do that?" Haymitch asked.

Rolling my eyes at the exercise I wanted to get up and leave, but one glare from Haymitch planted me in my seat. He wanted me to play ruthless, so what should I say? My talents maybe? That would at least show what I was good with. But then that would give everything away to everyone. Tributes, Sponsors, and Mentors. I'd have to balance out my answers. Some of them were good but others were bad. Or should I tell him the truth? Maybe. They might think it was funny, but it might also get me shot.

"Well... I'm good with weapons, I've always known that. Long distance weapons are my specialty, which is great because I can sneak up on Tributes," I finally answered.

Haymitch grabbed a small notepad from the counter and I watched as he jotted down some notes. Finally he looked back up at me and sighed. "It wasn't bad for a first answer, but you took too long," he said.

"I had to think!"

"You have to react quickly. You only get a few minutes for these interviews and if you take that long on each answer, you'll only get to say a few things. You didn't sound sure of yourself. You sounded like you were trying to please someone."

"That's exactly what I was doing."

"Remember what I told you about getting people to like you? Remember that! It's important." I growled at the man. I knew that nothing that I would say up on that stage would be sincere. "Okay. Not ruthless. How about we try sexy?" Haymitch offered.

My eyes bulged in my head. What the hell was he thinking? No way in hell would I do that. "That's stupid," I snapped.

"It's all stupid! I know that you don't like that, but you've been deemed the most attractive female Tribute this year. If you can do it, sexy will work."

I nodded at Haymitch through gritted teeth and prayed that this would be over with fast. "Alright... Fine," I conceded.

"Aspen, this competition might be serious, but we can have some fun too. Any Tributes here that have caught your eyes?" Haymitch asked.

My mind flashed to Cato. I knew that my face had gone stone cold instead of a simmering gaze. "Why the hell would I be thinking about guys when I could be dead tomorrow?" I snapped.

Unfortunately it had come out out before I could think about it. My mouth tended to move a little faster than my brain. Haymitch growled at me and threw a bottle cap at my face. I barely ducked out of the way and when I looked back up at Haymitch I was ready to yell at him. But once more his glare silenced me and I waited for him to yell at me. Instead he drew in his breath and sighed deeply.

"That's the point, Aspen. You aren't supposed to say things that would make sense to the people in the Districts. You're supposed to say things that make the Capitol people and Sponsors happy. Don't even think that your family is watching this right now. For right now, they don't exist. It's only you and the Sponsors who will save your life. Got it?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Good. Let's move on. I guess sweet is next." Haymitch cleared his throat and wrote down a few notes before looking back at me. "Aspen, what's been your favorite thing about the Capitol so far?" he asked.

"The total waste of food that could be used in the Districts," I sneered quietly.

Haymitch looked at me with a look that could kill and I took in a deep breath. "You might as well be dead already," Haymitch sneered.

He was right. I had to try. Swallowing my pride, I took a deep breath and tried to be as sugary sweet as possible. "The showers are nice. The food is good too," I said.

Haymitch looked like he was looking for something else for me to say but that was the only thing that I could think of. I had no other nice words for the Capitol. Haymitch groaned loudly before throwing the papers around that he had been working on.

"Come on, girl! You have to give me something more than that! Say that you like their clothes, their hospitality, their accents. Something! Charm them. Say something to make you look like something more than a pretty robot! We'll try something else then. Let's try funny. You like to be sarcastic, so we'll try that. Aspen, what did you like to do for fun back in District 12?" Haymitch asked, his face a little red.

Nothing came to mind. There was nothing that I really ever did for fun back home. Everything that I did was to survive. Any fun that I ever had was talking to my friends. "I would talk to my friends while we were out... walking," I slowly finished, remembering that hunting was illegal back home.

It looked like Haymitch was waiting for me to say something else, but there was nothing else that I could think to say. Everything that I could think to say was something that I did that was illegal. And I couldn't say anything that put my friends in danger. I dug through all of my memories but the only ones of me having fun weren't ones that I wanted to tell the Capitol. They were mine. They weren't up for me to share. The Capitol couldn't take everything from me.

"That's it?" he asked.

"Yeah."

He groaned again. I had a feeling that he was going to actually kill me. We tried a few other angles for a number of hours but Haymitch liked none of them. So we ended up going back to the sweet angle. It seemed that he liked the sweet angle though as we worked on it for what must have been at least two hours. But every question that he would ask me would get answered with a short and simple answer. Finally he seemed to get sick of the angle and decided to change them again.

"These are too boring and too simple. Let's try something else. I have one more for you to try. You might be good at this one. Try being shy, okay?" Haymitch asked.

"Okay," I said, knowing that I had to get this one right.

"Aspen, we know that you have some loyal friends back home. Tell us a little bit about them," Haymitch urged.

It should have been an easy question to answer, but red hot rage shot through me. One that I knew that I couldn't let out at the Interviews. I'd damn myself before even setting foot into the arena. What the hell did they deserve to ever say my friend's names or know anything more about them? They didn't deserve to even look at my friends.

"They're braver than anyone that I know. The youngest was drawn to be in these Games. You know that her sister was going to volunteer for her, but I did instead. They had lost enough, they didn't need to lose another daughter. They had already lost a father. And then there's the boy. I probably would have gotten married to him, but that never will happen. Instead of wearing a suit to our wedding, he'll wear one to my funeral," I sneered.

Haymitch hadn't been asking to be cruel. He had asked it because it was a type of question that I was likely to get asked. It looked like he might let my slip up go, but as soon as he was over the shock, rage replaced it. He grabbed the papers and threw them at my face. I barely ducked out of the day.

"Seriously? All you had to do was give a short descriptions of your friends and you couldn't even do that! I give up. There's no angle that we can give you. I'm out of options. Maybe try to play the sympathy card with your parents or volunteering, I don't know." Haymitch walked away and let the door slide open as he walked up to it. "Effie is ready for you," he growled.

Not bothering to say anything else to me, he walked out and let the door slide closed. My face was burning with anger and embarrassment from what had just happened. I couldn't believe that I couldn't even answer a damn question. Part of me felt like it might be easier for me to just stay seated and pretend that the entire encounter had never happened. But I knew that I couldn't do that. I would just have to try and sound like a proper Tribute when it came time for the Interviews. Hopefully Cinna would make such a stunning outfit that no one would be focused on me or what I was saying.

I would lose any Sponsors that I'd had to begin with. I stood from my seat and walked out of the room, bumping my arm on what I had thought was the wall. I looked up but was shocked when I realized that it was Peeta that I had walked into. It looked like he wanted to say something to me but I didn't want to hear it. Instead I walked past him and headed across the hall to Effie's room. I laughed slightly as I thought about how pathetic it would be if I did better with Effie than with Haymitch.

As the door slid open I gawked at the interior of the room. It was so Effie that it was almost laughable. The entire room was decorated in fluffy pink and green decorations that were so tacky, they were almost attractive. Her bed was on a sunken platform and looked like it was made out of water. It was covered with a bright pink comforter that matched her bright pink walls. The closet was the best thing. Both it and the dresser were twice the size of mine and yet they were still overflowing with clothes. There were so many clothes in there I figured that she had brought her entire wardrobe with her here.

"Oh, Aspen dear, over here!" Effie called as I walked into the room. She was seated at a plastic table with clear chairs that looked like you could fall right through them. I took a seat in the chairs and looked up at Effie. "You shouldn't have bothered. Today, we'll be working on walking."

"Walking?" I asked.

"In high heels, of course. During the Interviews we want our Tributes to be on the same height level as Caesar. For the girls at least. Especially our smaller ones such as yourself! You're just about five foot one and we want you to be at about five foot six," Effie explained.

My jaw dropped at those words. "You want me in five inch heels?" I asked.

There was absolutely no way that I could do that. "At the shortest, of course!" Effie laughed. "We'll try the five inches first."

It turned out that she didn't just want me to wear the high heels. She also put me in a floor length gown. It wasn't the one that I would be wearing for the Interviews but it would simulate how I would look tomorrow night. Since Effie was taller than me the dress trailed behind me. I gulped deeply as she handed me a pair of shoes that were sitting outside of her dresser. They were a pretty deep purple and had a tiny point below the heel. How the hell was I supposed to walk in those? I walked in boots every day out of the year except a few occasions where I would wear my sandals.

The only heels I had ever been in was at the party last night and those had been relatively low. I pushed the shoes on and stood on wobbly feet. I felt like a newborn horse as I clomped around the room in them. The dress still trailed behind my feet and I managed to keep getting the train caught up in the heel, very nearly tearing Effie's dress. She continuously shouted at me for it. Every time that I would lose my balance, which was frequently, I would grab onto whatever was the closest to me. At least five times I had slipped and I hadn't even been walking for an hour.

The heels were almost impossible to walk it. But Effie ran around in them full-time and I was determined that if she could do it, so could I. The dress posed another problem, even once I'd stopped collapsing to the ground. It kept tangling around my shoes so, of course, I hitched it up. Effie swooped down on me like a hawk, smacking my hands and yelling that I shouldn't raise my dress above my ankles. Effie tried with every pair of heels that she owned to get me to stand upright, but nothing was working. She tried time and time again before deciding that I was adequate enough.

It turned out that there was much more to the Interviews than merely learning to walk into them. There was still sitting, posture - which I apparently had a tendency to duck my head and curve my spine - eye contact, hand gestures, and smiling. Smiling was mostly about smiling more. Effie claimed that I was the worst with that. Effie made me say a hundred banal phrases starting with a smile, while smiling, or ending with a smile. By the time that the sun was setting, the muscles in my cheeks are twitching from overuse.

"Well, that's the best I can do. Just remember, Aspen, you want the audience to like you," Effie said, with a sigh.

"And you don't think they will?" I asked.

"Not if you glare at them the entire time. Why don't you save that for the arena? Instead, think of yourself among friends," Effie said brightly.

"They're betting on how long I'll live! They're not my friends!" I shouted, unable to stop myself.

"Well, try and pretend!" Effie snapped. Then she composed herself and beamed at me. "See, like this. I'm smiling at you even though you're aggravating me."

"Yes, it feels very convincing," I said.

She let out a small sigh and motioned me up from the chair. "Let's try one more time," Effie said.

She put me in a pair of heels that were slightly higher than the five inch heels. I slipped them onto my feet and laced them up. Gathering up my strength, I stood on my feet and wobbled for a moment. Effie motioned for me to walk over to her and I nodded. Looking straight forward I took a step toward her trying to keep my smile plastered on my face the whole time. I made it a few steps with decent balance but just as I got within a few feet of Effie my ankle gave out and I fell forward. I hit the ground hard and cried out as my hands slid across the carpeting. Damn it, that hurt.

"Those weren't even the highest that I had for you to try on! We may as well just put you barefoot and have you dress like you used to. Clean up. Dinner will be soon," Effie growled.

My eyes narrowed at her. I ripped the heels off and chucked the heels across the room, hitting the lamp in the corner and knocking it over. Making it a point to annoy Effie, I reached up for the dress, hiked it all the way up to my thighs, rubbed my ankle for a moment, and walked into my room. Immediately I dropped down onto the bed. My whole quest was pointless. The past two days had been wonderful but now I was back to being at the bottom. There was no way that I could win. Not when I couldn't even walk.

Nothing that anyone said to me afterwards managed to pry me from my room. So I had dinner that night in my room, ordering an outrageous number of delicacies, eating myself sick, and then taking out my anger at Haymitch, at the Hunger Games, at every living being in the Capitol by smashing dishes around my room. It was very childish but it was the only thing that I could think to do that made me feel even slightly better.

All I wanted was to destroy everything. I wanted to fling Effie and Haymitch out of the window. They had never made me so angry. I was shocked when the door slid open. It wasn't Effie or Haymitch or even Peeta. It was the Avox girl from the party last night. The one that I had once turned my back on. I knew where I'd recognized her from and a sickened feeling sank in my stomach. It looked like she was coming to turn down my bed. She looked stunned to see that I was in here and her eyes widened at the mess.

I didn't want to look at her. I didn't want to remind myself of my moment of weakness all those years ago. "Just leave it!" I yelled at her. "Just leave it alone!"

It wasn't nice of me. I'd done enough horrible things to her in her life. I hated her, too, with her knowing and reproachful eyes that called me a coward, a monster, a puppet of the Capitol, both now and then. For her, justice must have finally been happening. At least my death would help pay for the life of the boy in the woods. I tried to blink back the memories. But instead of fleeing the room, the girl closed the door behind her and went to the bathroom. She came back with a damp cloth and wiped my face gently. She then cleaned the blood from a broken plate off of my hands. Why was she doing this?

"I should have tried to save you," I whispered. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. Did this mean that Gale, Katniss, and I were right to stand by? Had she somehow managed to forgive me? I wouldn't have if I was her. Not when I'd heard her scream. Was her pleading with us the last time that she'd ever actually spoken to someone?

"No, it was wrong," I said.

She tapped her lips with her fingers then pointed to my chest. I thought that she means that I would just have ended up an Avox, too. Probably would have. An Avox or dead. Maybe that would have been better. I spent the next hour helping the redheaded girl clean the room. When all the garbage had been dropped down a disposal and the food was cleaned away, she turned down my bed. I crawled in between the sheets like a five-year-old and let her tuck me in.

She turned to leave when I grabbed her arm. "What's your name?" I asked.

For a moment I felt like a fool. She couldn't tell me. She couldn't speak. But she dropped down and started running her index finger along my leg. L-A-V-I-N-I-A. Her name was Lavinia. I stared at her and nodded. She already knew my name. I wanted to say something else to her but my voice had died in my throat. So we just stared at each other before she left. I wanted her to stay until I fell asleep. I wanted her to be there when I woke up. I wanted the protection of Lavinia, even though she never had mine.

The next morning I didn't even bother to say good morning to Effie or Haymitch. They'd annoyed me too much yesterday. So I walked out of my room and headed into the living room. I grabbed myself a cup of coffee, ignored Effie's warning to behave, and walked out with Cinna. He was already waiting for me. Silently the two of us headed to the elevator and rode it to the bottom floor. We walked into a different hallway than the one that I had gone to when I had been getting ready for the party. These rooms were connected to the stage where we would be doing our Interviews.

Cinna seated me in a chair once we walked into our room and got to work on my nails first. For a while he worked in silence but just as I had expected, he finally mentioned the party. "I saw what happened at the party," he said.

I sighed deeply and shook my head. "Honestly I have no idea what happened two nights ago. I danced with a million Sponsors and I have no idea what any of them said. Then Seneca Crane... like I wasn't scared of the guy enough before. President Snow threatened to have everyone I cared about killed. Then there's Cato. I have no idea what the kiss was about. I don't get him. One minute he wants me dead, the next he's telling me that he wishes he could let me live. I thought this was simple. Get here, don't die, and go home. But this is so much harder than I thought. Yesterday Haymitch got fed up with me because I couldn't find an angle for the Interviews. I just can't figure out how to make anyone like me. Effie yelled at me because I can't walk in her stupid heels without falling over," I grumbled.

Cinna finished the last nail on my right hand and laid a hand down on my shoulder, spinning my chair so that I was facing him. "Aspen, listen to me. You know the reason that Haymitch was sending you to all of those Sponsors?" he asked.

"To throw me off," I said grumpily.

Cinna smiled. "He believes in you. He might be a grumpy old man, but he believes in you. That's why he gets fed up with you. He wants to get you out of that arena to make up for your parents. It's why he gets so upset when you fail. The same thing with Effie."

"She just doesn't want me to make her look bad," I growled.

"Well she is from the Capitol."

I smiled at Cinna. "Sorry," I muttered.

"That's alright. As for Seneca Crane, that attention might be good for you. He might keep any mutts away from you."

"I guess I didn't think about that."

"President Snow threatens everyone that he thinks he can control. You get out there tonight and in the arena tomorrow and you show him that you can't be controlled. It shouldn't be hard for you."

I smiled at him again. "Is that a compliment?" I asked.

"A very large one. When it comes to Cato you just make sure that when Caesar asks about the kiss you make Cato look like he's chasing after you. We all believe in you, Aspen. I knew that I'll be there to greet you when these Games are over," Cinna said.

That was the biggest vote of confidence that I'd gotten since the Games had started. Even Katniss hadn't seemed so confident that I'd make it out. Maybe Gale was the one that had really thought that I would make it out. I smiled to myself and glanced down at my nails. They were painted a pretty metallic grey with clear swirls through the middle of the nails. They had bright red studs that were lining the swirls too, keeping with the whole Girl On Fire thing.

"Thank you Cinna," I told the older man, happy that someone believed in me.

"I don't say anything that I don't believe."

He smiled at me and went to work on my hair. I felt him tugging on the ends and as he did we exchanged stories about when we were younger. He told me about what it was like growing up in the Capitol and how he was the outcast when he was in school. I told him about how I was always the star student in school, despite the fact that I always had an issue with authority. We must have been exchanging stories for hours when I was finally told to close my eyes as I felt Cinna slip me into my dress. It felt heavier than the other dresses that I had been put in up to this point.

Cinna led me over to the couch and I lifted my feet as he slipped the heels onto my feet. I knew that they were high because when I had been walking over to the couch the dress had dragged behind me. It now fell just around my feet. The heels slipped over my feet and I was given a hand to stand up. Judging by how wobbly I was on my feet, they were similar to the shoes that Effie had put me in last. Cinna helped me walk over to the mirror before telling me to open my eyes and look at the creation he had made. The last one that he would make for me, unless I won the Games.

I spotted my hair first. It was done up in a fancy type of lose bun with pieces falling out. The pieces that were falling out of the bun were all sprayed with a sparkling red paint. With every turn of my head they sparkled brightly. They would look wonderful with the lights on the stage. He had also weaved strands of red into my hair. There was a small pin in my hair. Deep red rubies that formed a 12. I smiled at the pin and laughed. A huge part of me hoped that Cato would see it. He hadn't made a big deal about it but I knew that he was livid. It was an embarrassment. A District 12 Tribute scoring higher than a Career.

My face was painted up as it usually was. My eyelids had a sparkling red powder that was lightly brushed onto my lids. Dark eyeliner was painted over my entire eye with a small wing edging out past my eyes. There was a soft blush on my cheeks and on top of that was a light sprinkle of shimmering white powder. My lips were painted a soft pink with the same kissable look that they had held the last two times that I had been dressed up. My ears held an odd looking ear piece that went from my lobe all the way to the top of my ear. It was in the shape of a flame. I had never seen one before but it was pretty.

There was a soft sprinkling of a red and golden powder all over my body. It made me shimmer with every movement. The dress that I was wearing was gorgeous. It was even prettier than the last two that I had been in. It had a low cut front that showed a little less cleavage than the dress from the party. It was obvious that I wasn't playing a sexy angle, which made me happy. The dress itself fit tightly down the entire bodice and flowed softly when it hit the floor. The material that was on the outside of the dress seemed like glass but it was gorgeous. That must have been what was making the dress so heavy.

The plates were black and silver at the top. In the background of all of the plates there was a bright red pattern that was slowly spinning. The bottom of the dress had white and blue plates that only echoed the hottest parts of a flame. I looked like a creature from another world. The dress was magnificent. It was like something that should be hung up and never worn. The shoes were the same black and silver pattern but there was no spinning red swirl. They had a high platform in the front, and a sharp point at the heel of the shoe.

I looked beautiful but I didn't feel like it. Despite what Cinna had told me, I felt like I could fall over and die. There was just too much going on. "Amazing," Cinna said.

He leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. Automatically I knew that no one else would look nearly as good as I did. He was right. I did look amazing, but I felt like there was nothing that I could do. I would embarrass myself in these Interviews and I would be dead by this time tomorrow. Sighing deeply, I looked at myself in the mirror and shook my head at my Head Stylist.

"I don't feel amazing," I quietly admitted. I didn't want him to think that it was what he had made.

"Don't you know how beautiful you look?" Cinna asked, looking shocked at what I had said.

I shrugged my shoulders and spun my hips slightly, hoping that I could force myself to think that I was pretty. "No," I told Cinna.

"You are," he said.

"I guess."

"I know."

He shook his head at me and pulled me over to the couch. He seated me on the couch and I looked him in the eye. "I don't know how to make people like me, how do you make people like you?" I asked.

Cinna was so friendly. He had to know some trick to get people to like you. Anything to help me. He laughed at me and took my hands in his. They were rough. They were almost the types of hands that you would expect from someone who worked hard labor every day. They felt like the hands of one of the Hob workers back home. But that just made me love him even more.

"What did you do that made me like you?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and took my arms back, folding my arms over my chest. "Nothing," I said.

"Well I like you."

"That's different. I wasn't trying," I mumbled, under my breath.

He made a good point but I had nothing against Cinna. He had been a good man the entire time I'd know him. I had everything against those people that wanted to watch me fight, suffer, and kill others who had done nothing to deserve it. Cinna smiled at me and stood up. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up, helping me steady myself. Somehow these shoes were much easier to walk in than Effie's had been. Part of me thought that Cinna had done something to them to make sure that I didn't fall on stage.

"Exactly. Just be yourself. I'll be there the whole time. And just pretend you're talking to me. Okay?" he asked.

It seemed like something so easy to do. I just had to keep my eyes on him the whole time. "Okay," I answered him softly.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"No."

"You're beautiful. Inside and out. Let them see that," Cinna said.

"I'll try."

"You'll succeed."

He led me out of the room and up a set of three stairs. I was shocked to see that right there was the stage where the Interviews would be held. There were people that were running around everywhere and a long line of Tributes, all of whom appeared to be there already. Even Peeta was already in line. I caught both Effie and Haymitch, who were standing in the corner, talking with a man that I had never seen before. Cinna pushed me into the large space that had been set out for me and I waved goodbye to him.

For a few moments, I debated on saying something to Peeta. But I was afraid that I might start yelling at him. But just as I figured out what I wanted to say to him, Clove came stomping up to me. She was wearing a shorter orange dress with her hair up and she looked like she was about ready to tear the whole ensemble off. I didn't blame her. She looked nothing like I did. None of them did. I would be the shining star again. She was in heels too. Hers about the same size as mine, but it left her standing an inch taller than me.

"Hey, Twelve," she growled.

"Clove," I answered simply.

With everything that had already happened, I didn't need anyone to upset me right now. She scoffed at me and motioned her head towards the other Careers. Glimmer was half hidden behind Marvel, the two chatting away. Cato had his back turned to me. He was talking with Brutus and Enobaria. Coral was standing in line quietly, away from the rest of the Careers, looking like she was rehearsing lines to herself. Maybe I should have done that.

"Look, I'm gonna make it real simple for you. You're good with knives and you're good with something else too. The Careers could use someone with survival skills. So you join us and we provide you protection. You break off when it gets to be the final few and it's a fair fight from there," Clove said.

My eyes widened at her offer. She'd just offered me to join the Careers. Should I take it? It was a good offer. I knew that it was a onetime deal. It didn't come with strings either. I would contribute to them when they needed me to and when I got uncomfortable I was welcomed to leave. Was it worth my dignity? My friends probably hated me enough for the kiss with Cato. They would hate me even more if I joined him. And I might go nuts if I was with him all the time. I could barely stand him in the short periods of time that I got with him now. Plus how did I know that they wouldn't kill me when I slept?

Shaking my head at her, I realized that it wouldn't be worth my time to be with the Careers. "Sorry Clove, it's a no. I appreciate the offer but I think I'll take my chances with myself," I told her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever. Your funeral then. I hope you know that this makes you a target now, then?" she asked.

"Wasn't I always?" I asked.

Obviously my answer surprised her. Without giving me a chance to say anything else, she turned on her heel, wobbling for a moment, before storming off. For a moment, I thought that maybe I should have said yes to her. It might have made some things easier. I wouldn't be so open to an attack and I would probably have more food, but it wasn't worth getting no sleep and having to watch my back all the time.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Your master of ceremonies... Caesar Flickerman!" a voice called over the loudspeakers.

The crowd that was out in the arena began to cheer. Their cheers were monstrous and I found myself nervous beyond belief. What would I do if I said something stupid in front of all of those people? I watched as Caesar stepped out onto the stage in his deep blue suit. He was doing a deep blue this year. It was much better than his bright yellow theme last year. It was one of the better colors that he had chosen. He walked onto stage and waved at the audience that were all on their feet for him.

"Thank you! Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome. To the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hunger Games. Now, in five minutes they are all going to be out here," Caesar announced. That was when Glimmer would come out. "All of the Tributes that you heard about. Are you excited? Let me hear it!"

Everyone began to cheer and I watched as the Mentors and Stylists walked out of the backstage area. They wouldn't see us again until after the Interviews were over. Turning away from the stage I faced forward, looking at the back of Thresh's head, who turned and smiled at me briefly. I returned the smile and let my mind wander as Caesar babbled on.

"Why didn't you say yes?" a voice asked me.

I turned and rolled my eyes when I saw that it was Cato. He was the last person I wanted to see right now. I went to yell at him but I realized that I was closer to his height now. Instead of coming up to his chest, I now came up to his neck. He was looking down at me with a frown but he still looked gorgeous. He was in a dark blue suit that looked almost black. They looked slick. His shoes were the same style. His blonde hair was in between being slicked back and standing straight up. The messed look suited him well. I crossed my arms but immediately unfolded them as I realized that they lifted my chest up.

Cato smiled at my self-conscious state and I rolled my eyes. "Probably because I'd have to be near you all the time," I said.

"Wouldn't that be a problem?" Cato asked, teasingly.

"It would. I think I'd get sick of you hitting on me and then trying to kill me," I snapped.

"Really?"

There was a dark glint in his eyes. "Really," I said.

His smirk was darker than it usually was as he walked closer and closer to me. I would have backed up if it hadn't meant that I would ram straight into Peeta. Cato finally made his way over to me, my chest touching his. He leaned down to me and let his lips brush over my ear. I wished that I could say that it made my skin crawl in disgust but it made my skin rise with goosebumps and a sharp shiver rolled down my spine. With nerves or excitement, I couldn't tell.

"Because I think you like it," he said. "I can feel you shaking. I know that it isn't from fear. You want me, you just can't admit it to yourself. Especially not here. Not with all of these people."

He was whispering straight in my ear. Breaking away from him, I took a step back. He only took another step towards me. "So that's your ploy, huh?" I snapped.

"Ploy?" Cato asked, grinning.

"Make yourself look like a tough womanizer that makes the weak Tribute from District 12 fall for him. Well trust me, sweetheart, it won't work. If you want to kill me it won't be by stabbing me while I sleep. It'll be a fair fight," I growled.

He laughed and leaned down to me again. "I don't recall ever saying that I was making you fall for me. But is that what's happening? How sweet," he said.

"I am not falling for you. I hate you," I said.

"Sure you do. Like I said, join us and we can have a little fun before the real fun begins. Trust me, I'll make it worth your while."

In all honesty I was sure that it would be worth my while. Without warning, Cato grabbed my chin and forced me to stay still as he planted a small kiss on my mouth. I stared at him in shock as he released my jaw. This kiss was much shorter than the one he'd given me at the party. He pulled away with a bit of pink lip gloss barely shimmering in the corner of his mouth. Letting my anger get the best out of me, I slapped him across the face. It wasn't very hard but it was enough to get my anger out.

"Stop that!" I hissed.

The other Tributes were watching us intently and I was doing my best to ignore them. "If that's your best, Twelve, I wouldn't call that a fair fight," he said. I felt like I was on fire from how furious he was making me. Thankfully he stepped away from me before I did something stupid. "By the way, I like 'em with a little fight."

"You haven't seen me fight yet," I hissed.

"And I look forward to it. The fight makes them all the harder to tame. Even the strongest girl can be." He winked at me, making my jaw tighten. He began to walk away, just as the stage hand called Glimmer, who was glaring at me, and he turned back to me. "By the way, you look lovely tonight," he said.

What the hell just happened? That couldn't have just happened. Did he really just kiss me again? He just kept doing it and I kept letting him. Why the hell did I like it? What was happening to me? I was losing my mind before even going into the Games. If I made it back home I would need Gale to punch me as hard as he could in the head. Hopefully it would make both of us feel a little bit better.

"Let's see if she does indeed shine. Let's have a warm round of applause for Glimmer," Caesar called.

As much as I knew that I should be thinking about what to say with my own Interview, I became a little interested in seeing the others. So I turned to watch her Interview. She was wearing a short and somewhat see through dress that barely covered her ass. As she walked up the stage and across she shook her hips as much as possible. Definitely playing sexy, I thought, as she took her seat.

"Glimmer, are you prepared?" Caesar asked.

She wore a huge smile and I rolled my eyes. I'd die if I watched the entire Interview. "Yes, Caesar, I am prepared. I like it, that's just the way that I've always been. I've been waiting for this chance my entire life!" she screeched.

Even with that one question, I was already done with her interview. Tuning out, I waited until her turn was over and she departed the stage. "Big round of applause. Marvel!" Caesar yelled.

Marvel walked off of the backstage platform and made his way onto the stage. He was wearing a blue suit with bright yellow chords that lined the suit. He looked ridiculous, but his personality made up for it. He was very over the top but he was actually pretty funny. Some part of me thought that he was actually probably a halfway decent person but I didn't ever want to get to know him. Not when I knew what it would mean. It was a good thing, because I never would get the chance.

His Interview went fast and he departed the stage looking like a fool waving at the Capitol people. But they still ate it up. They would always be some of the favorites. The two District 1 Tributes found their Mentors and departed the area, saying a quick goodbye to Cato and Clove. They stood in a circle for a moment, as Coral joined them, probably making a plan for tomorrow before they broke apart and left the area, heading back to their own floor.

"Welcome, Clove," Caesar called.

Clove was sitting with her legs crossed and had a small smile on her face. She looked relatively content. "It's an honor to represent my District," she told Caesar.

I was impressed with the young girl. I had thought that she would play the vicious killer but she was actually being reasonably friendly. "So you're a fighter?" Caesar asked her.

Every time that he spoke to one of the Tributes he acted as if their answer was the most interesting thing that he had ever heard. That was the good thing about Caesar. He would do his best to make sure that you looked good, no matter what answer you gave him or how pathetic you were. She nodded at him and plastered a proud smile on her face.

"I'm prepared, vicious, and I'm ready to go," she answered.

I nodded at her. That had been the answer that I had been expecting. The two talked back and forth for a while before her buzzer went off, signaling the end of her Interview. Caesar bade her a goodbye and she waved once before making her way off of the stage. The stagehand called Cato's name and he walked to the loading platform. I watched as he walked forward, hoping that he would fall and break his neck. A moment later, as he walked onto the stage, Caesar motioned to him.

"Cato!" he yelled. The crowd erupted into cheers, louder than they had been for the other three. As Caesar led Cato to his seat, they immediately began his Interview. "So, Cato, the most likely Tribute to win. How does that feel?"

Cato smirked and crossed his ankle over his knee. He looked so natural up there, as if he had been bred to do this. He basically was. "I knew it all along. I've trained long and hard throughout my life so that I could be here right now. I know that I have what it takes and I won't let anything get in my way. The other Tributes know that they have a huge threat up here. They know that I know how to kill and I won't be afraid to take anyone out," he answered.

The ruthless killer, just as I had expected. He didn't just play the part, he was the part. There was no one who was better suited for the personality. Caesar smiled as he turned to the crowd briefly and back to Cato. "You sound confident! Did you get that from your family?" Caesar asked. It was his subtle way to ask unfriendly Tributes about their families.

Cato shrugged his shoulders. I couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't overly fond of them. "I guess I did. My family has always been supportive of me coming here. Mostly because they knew that I would be the one that was coming back. And I'll make sure of that," Cato said.

It was clear that he didn't want to look too soft in front of the Capitol. "I'm sure. Now, there was the kiss at President Snow's party two days ago. Can we see it?" Caesar asked.

My eyes rolled so far into the back of my head that I thought that they would get stuck back there. I knew that they would talk about it but I was hoping that they wouldn't have to show it and make me relive the embarrassing moment. A screen dropped over the stage displaying the kiss from two days ago. I realized that we both looked actually happy in the picture. We looked like two people that were happy together. But it was everything else.

"Very lovely," Caesar said happily. "The two of you look wonderful. And it seems that this kiss wasn't the last one."

They both laughed as Cato he winked at the audience. I took a closer look and realized that he hadn't wiped off the lip gloss. Asshole! That was why he kissed me! "No. It certainly wasn't," Cato said.

"Now tell me, what was the kiss about?" Caesar asked, with a childlike giddiness.

Laughing, Cato wiped the gloss off of his face and smiled at the audience. "What can I say? She just can't keep her hands off of me," Cato said.

The Capitol people were erupting in laughter. My face turned a bright red from holding my anger in. "Well we certainly can't blame her. Right?" Caesar asked.

The audience erupted in cheers again, particularly the females, as Cato smiled. "Aspen is a wonderful girl. And I know that if she were to win she would make someone very happy one day. I would have liked to get to know her better but I can't. So instead I get to have fun with her while I can. But she should know that I kissed her because I meant it," Cato said. Some part of me melted at the confession. The audience all awed and I coughed awkwardly. He was only saying that to look like a charmer. "But that doesn't mean that I'll go easy on her in the arena."

He was smirking again. There it was. The ruthless killer was coming back to play. Caesar looked like he might explode from happiness. My face was still burning with embarrassment. I was sure that he couldn't wait to get to my Interview now. But that was a while away. And I wished that it was even longer.

"How sweet. A man that wishes he could save the girl! Now what do you feel about her?" Caesar asked.

I leaned forward. I was glad that he had asked that because I was curious too. For a moment Cato looked like Caesar had actually thrown him off but he quickly gathered his thoughts. "I don't want to kill her, but I have to. Maybe someone else will get to her. But I know that she's tough. It will be her and I in the finals. While I might not kill her at first, she will definitely get some special attention," Cato said.

There was another smirk on his face. The audience all cheered at him as his timer went off and he exited the stage. He walked back to the area we were all waiting in and I followed his movements closely. He met up with his team who all congratulated him and they began to walk away. Before they exited the area, Cato turned to me and winked. My face burned again. And just like that, he disappeared. I sighed at the knowledge that the next time that I would see him would be a minute before the Hunger Games began.

After that I found myself pretty much being unable to concentrate on the other Interviews. I listened to them but it was hard to actually get a grip on what they were saying. The rest of the Interviews went by in a blur and I patiently waited for my Interview to come. The faster they went the more intimidated I felt. Most of the Interviews were dull after Cato's, but a few stood out to me.

Coral was quiet and only answered with as short of sentences as she could come up with. Finch was quiet too. I could tell that she would make it far. She was smart and it seemed like she knew what she was talking about. Rue was adorable in her light blue dress with angel wings. She was a real charmer throughout her Interview and the audience were melting at the mere sight of her. Thresh was next and he played to role of quiet but deadly well. He barely said anything, but it suited his personality well. The audience looked intrigued and I knew that serious Sponsors would be willing to get behind him.

As Thresh exited the stage he nodded to me and I nodded back at him. We wouldn't hurt each other during the Games. At least I'd managed to eliminate one severe threat. The stagehand called my name and I stepped forward. I was absolutely positive that my stomach was going to fall out of my throat. Part of me hoped that I would drop dead now but I knew that I would have to do this. If nothing else, just to make Cato look like a lovesick puppy.

"From District 12. You know her as the Girl on Fire! Where we know her as Aspen Antaeus!" Caesar yelled.

Calming my nerves I walked out onto the stage and looked through the crowd. I caught sight of both Haymitch and Effie who were motioning for me to keep calm. Next to them was Cinna who was nodding slowly at me. I took my seat as Caesar took his and sat ramrod straight. I turned to him after a moment, curious as to why he hadn't said anything. He was looking at me as if he was waiting for an answer. Feeling rather embarrassed I looked at the crowd and stared.

"What?" I asked stupidly.

Caesar and the crowd all laughed and I awkwardly laughed with them. I was trying to calm down but I was so much more nervous than I had thought I would be. "I think someone's a little nervous," Caesar chuckled, patting my hand. "I said that the Capitol must be quite a change from District 12. What's impressed you most since you arrived here?"

What? What did he say? Even the second time around I didn't really understand what he said. It was as if the words made no sense, even though I knew exactly what he'd just asked me. My mouth had gone as dry as sawdust. Licking my lips did nothing. The gloss that was on them tasted horrible. I desperately tried to find Cinna in the crowd again. Finally I managed to lock eyes with him. I imagined the words coming from his lips. I racked my brain for something that made me happy here. Be honest.

"The lamb stew," I managed to get out.

You're a moron, Aspen. Caesar laughed and I vaguely realized that some of the audience joined in. "The one with the dried plums?" Caesar asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Oh, I eat it by the bucketful." He turned sideways to the audience in horror, a hand on his stomach. "It doesn't show, does it?" he asked.

They shouted reassurances to him and applauded. "Of course not. You look wonderful," I said, trying to be charming.

"Oh, well I looked nowhere near as wonderful as you did! That was quite an entrance that you've made at the Tribute's Parade the other day. Do you want to tell us about it?" he asked.

No. It wasn't an option. Instead I settled for simple humor. "Well, I was just hoping that I wouldn't burn up!" I said.

The audience laughed loudly and I awkwardly smiled. It wasn't that funny but if they wanted to laugh, let them. "Very funny!" Caesar yelled. "What did you think of the costume?"

Be honest. "You mean once I got over my fear of being burned alive?" I asked.

There was a real laugh from the audience this time. It was loud and echoed around the auditorium. "Yes. Start then," Caesar said, smiling at me.

"I thought Cinna was brilliant and it was the most gorgeous costume I'd ever seen and I couldn't believe I was wearing it. I can't believe I'm wearing this, either," I said. I lifted up my skirt to spread it out. "I mean, look at it!"

As the audience started to make cooing noises I almost smiled. It really was the most gorgeous dress that I'd ever seen. I really couldn't believe that Cinna had put something like this into reality. I turned towards Cinna and smiled. It took me a moment to see him make the tiniest circular motion with his finger. But I knew what he was saying. Twirl for me. So I stood and spun in a circle once. The reaction was immediate.

"Oh, do that again!" Caesar said happily.

If it was going to keep me from talking I would happily twirl for them until my three minutes were up. They seemed to like me when I wasn't talking. I lifted up my arms and spun around and around letting the skirt fly out, and letting the dress engulf me in flames. It was beautiful. The bottom of the dress was erupting in flames as the spinning in the plates got a little brighter. The audience broke into cheers. When I finally stopped, I clutched onto Caesar's arm.

"Don't stop!" he said.

"I have to, I'm dizzy!"

The last thing that I needed was to go flopping off of the edge of the stage and landing in a Mentor's lap. I was also giggling, which I'm thinking that I might have done maybe never in my lifetime. But the nerves and the spinning had gotten to me. Caesar wrapped a protective arm around me.

"Don't worry, I've got you. Can't have you following in your mentor's footsteps," Caesar said.

That time even I managed to plaster a smile on my face. And it was about as close to a real one as I thought that they would manage to get. Everyone was hooting as the cameras found Haymitch, who was by now famous for his head dive at the Reaping. It had been replayed almost as much as my volunteering. Haymitch waved them away good-naturedly and pointed back to me.

"It's all right," Caesar reassured the crowd. We took our seats again. "She's safe with me. So how about that training score? Twelve. Give us a hint what happened in there."

I glanced at the Gamemakers on the balcony and bit my lip. "Um… All I can say, is I think it was a first."

The cameras were right on the Gamemakers, who were chuckling and nodding. "You're killing us," Caesar said, as if in actual pain. "Details. Details."

I addressed the balcony. "I'm not supposed to talk about it, right?"

The Gamemaker who fell in the punch bowl when I first shot the apple shouted out, "She's not!"

"Thank you. Sorry. My lips are sealed," I told Caesar.

"I suppose we'll have to wait and see. Now, why did you volunteer? It was very moving for all of us, I mean, everyone had tears in their eyes at your Reaping."

I wanted to lie and be the ruthless player that Haymitch wanted me to be, but I had to be honest here. "I just knew that Prim couldn't go into the Games. She's too young and innocent. I would never want her to see anything that happens in these Games. And I couldn't let her sister, Katniss, volunteer. She needs to be there for her sister and her mother. I would rather it be me than either of them," I answered honestly.

Caesar and the audience groveled at my sweet answer and I waited for the next question. "How brave of you. What was said in the goodbyes when they came to visit you?" he asked.

While I sure as hell wouldn't say everything that had happened I would say most of it. "Prim told me that I had to win, that I had to come back to her. I promised her that I would try. Katniss told me that I was strong, stronger than I knew. She told me that she knew that I would win. My other friend came in and gave me advice. And he told me that I had to come back. That it wasn't an option," I told Caesar.

I just hoped that he didn't hate me. Smiling, Caesar nodded. "Sounds like you have people who love you back home. Now what about this boy? Anything there?" he asked.

The question had caught me by surprise. I was ready for him to ask about Cato but I wasn't ready for him to ask about Gale. I'd almost forgotten that the Capitol had wanted to know about him just days ago, before Cato had kissed me. I could just picture Gale angrily staring at the television. Sorry Gale, I hope I don't say anything wrong here.

"I don't know Caesar," I answered honestly. "I love him to death, but he's my best friend. I don't know how I really feel about him. Maybe if I go back I'll get to find out. But while I was there, I was too busy to sort out feelings for people. I just knew that I cared."

He smiled at me and nodded before going on to the topic that I knew he had been itching to ask since I had climbed onto the stage. "You seem to have caught a lot of Tribute attention. In fact, I think we've all seen you cuddled up with a certain District 2 Tribute. What's going on there?" he asked.

"Oh, well, it caught me by surprise. I didn't know that he was going to do it. The whole thing was sweet, but we both know that it can't happen. Not in these Games," I said.

The answer was simple and safe. I knew that it wouldn't make him happy, but I had been hoping that I would be able to run the clock out. Apparently not, as he asked the next question. "But what are your feelings for him?" Caesar asked me intently.

I thought for a moment before deciding what to say. "Uh, I like him. I know that. But I'm not sure about much else. I mean, he's a Career and an asshole," I said. The audience all laughing heartily. I hadn't meant to say that, but I was glad that they had liked it. "But I really do like him. I don't know what it is, but we actually get along pretty well. Well, when we aren't talking about how we should kill each other." The audience laughed again. "The kiss was nice but I know that it isn't something that I can look into."

He looked disappointed but smiled anyways. "Well still, perhaps we'll get to see something more once you get in the Games!" Caesar yelled and the Capitol citizens cheered. "And speaking of them, are you ready?"

Smiling, I nodded and sat up straighter. "I am, Caesar. I know what I'm doing. And I know that I'm tough enough to win. I have a reason to get back home and I know that I have people here who are rooting for me," I said, with pride evident in my voice.

No matter what Cato did to me, I still was determined to get back home. Caesar smiled at me and laughed happily. "Well, we all over here certainly are! Now one last question. Your birthday is during the Games, correct?" he asked.

"It is."

"That makes you the oldest Tribute. Do you have a birthday wish?" he asked.

"Well, that I make it to the next one!" I answered quickly.

The audience and Caesar laughed one last time as the cheers slowly began. "And she's such a charmer, isn't she?" he asked the audience, whose cheers picked up. "Ladies and gentlemen, from District 12, Aspen Antaeus, The Girl On Fire!"

It was finally over. I smiled and stood up. Caesar grabbed my hand and pulled it up like I'd already won. Just as he did my dress began to shimmer even brighter. I stood in horror as the red sparkles took on a life of their own. For a moment I was shielded in all red. When the glimmer went down I looked down at myself. The dress was now made of pure rubies that were shimmering at my every little movement. The bottom of the dress was flaming. Caesar was cheering at the top of his lungs as was the audience. Smiling I made my way off of the stage and into the arms of Cinna.

With my dress still near blinding, I leaned back as Cinna loosened his grip on me. He wasn't even looking at his piece of work. He was just smiling at me. He had been grabbing me so tightly that he had nearly crushed me. I wasn't going to say anything. He was almost like a father to me and I didn't want to do anything to push him away.

"You did it, darling," Venia said from the side.

"That was incredible," Cinna said.

"Thank you," I answered, a light blush masking my face.

Haymitch brushed past Cinna and laid a hand on my shoulder. It was the first time that I'd really seen him since our disagreement yesterday in his bedroom. For a moment I thought that he would either yell at me for not acting like that in practice or he would tease me for not listening at the beginning. But he did none of those.

"Nice job, sweetheart," he said, a small smile on his face.

Thank you," I repeated.

In her usual fashion, Effie marched over to me and smiled. She was looking down at the dress like she had never seen anything so beautiful. Had it not been specifically fitted to me I would have offered it to her. If I won these Games, I might have even asked Cinna if I could take it home with me. I didn't want any memories of this place but I knew that Prim would love it.

"Nice dress, too," Effie added.

"Thanks."

"Peeta Mellark!" We all turned and watched as Peeta took a seat and crossed his legs in a similar fashion to Cato. I wished that I had found an attraction to Peeta. But I was stupidly attracted to Cato. The one Tribute, besides Glimmer, who was determined to kill me. "Peeta, welcome. How are you finding the Capitol? Don't say with a map," Caesar joked.

I smiled at his joke and so did Peeta. He shifted in the round seat for a moment and it was easy to tell that he was out of his place up on the stage. He was a funny guy. I knew that Peeta would do well enough up there. I was sure that he was going for friendly and I knew that he could do it. He just had to get over his nerves.

"Uh, it's uh... different. It's very different," Peeta said, looking utterly disappointed in the answer that he gave.

"Different? In what way? Give us an example," Caesar pried.

It was that reason there that he was the master of ceremonies. He knew what to say to keep the conversation going. He nodded and stopped to think for a moment. Finally a small smile crossed his face and I knew that he had found his niche.

"Uh, okay, well the showers here are weird," he said.

I laughed softly. I knew where he was going with this. The super-rich in District 12 had showers, but everyone else just took baths. And even our showers were nothing like the ones in the Capitol. Showers were a thing of luxury and the both of us had had our first showers when we had gotten here.

"Showers?" Caesar asked.

It must have been an everyday part of life here. That just showed how different the Capitol was from the Districts. "Yes," Peeta said.

"We have different showers," Caesar repeated, looking at the audience and laughing lightly.

Peeta had the crowd laughing and it seemed like they were backing him. Haymitch and Effie looked horrified. Cinna was the only one that was smiling, other than me. Maybe Peeta was earning Sponsors. I didn't know what I was so happy about. He was choosing to be trained separately and we were still competition. For a moment the two laughed but Peeta finally leaned towards Caesar, who in turn leaned into Peeta.

"I have a question for you, Caesar. Do I smell like roses to you?" Peeta asked.

My brows shot to my forehead and I knew that Caesar would have had the same look had he not been trained for moments like this. Haymitch and Effie both looked like they were ready to get onto the stage and throttle him. They thought that he was looking like a fool, but I knew what he was doing. He was trying to relate to them.

"Um..."

"Do I?" Peeta prodded.

Caesar leaned in, making an audible sniffing noise before pulling away from Peeta. "Yeah," Caesar answered with a laugh. I smiled as Peeta and Caesar leaned in together. The audience was chuckling too. "Do I smell like it?"

Caesar was playing along with the gag. Peeta leaned in and nodded at the man. "You definitely smell better than I do," he answered.

The entire stadium erupted in cheers and laughter, as did the majority of the backstage. I wondered if any of my responses had made anyone laugh like that. "Well I've lived here longer," Caesar answered. "So Peeta tell me. Is there a special girl back home?"

I leaned forward. I had seen Peeta around, talking with merchants daughters, but I had no idea whether or not he was with any of them. Peeta shook his head. "No, not really," he answered.

I was surprised. I had thought that Peeta would have someone back home. He was hard working, kind, and funny. Caesar seemed to share my thoughts. "No?" he asked. Peeta shook his head. "I don't believe it for a second. Look at that face." There was a handful of cheers from the female section of the crowd. "Handsome man like you... Peeta. Tell me."

He seemed to think about it before finally nodding. I leaned in, hoping that it would be some secret crush that he would admit. At least then the girl back home would know which of us to cheer for. Peeta needed someone to cheer for him. My family would be cheering for me. Without his family behind him, he deserved someone. I had my supporters and he needed his.

"Well, there a... There's this one girl that... I've had a crush on forever." Perfect. A secret crush. "But I don't think she actually recognized me until the Reaping," he admitted.

"Well... I'll tell you what Peeta. You go out there and you win this thing. And when you get home. She'll have to go out with you. Right folks?" he asked the crowd, who all cheered loudly for him.

Peeta smiled and waved at the crowd for a moment, but shook his head, silencing them. Did he really still not think he had a shot at winning? "Thanks, but I, uh... I don't think winning's gonna help me at all," Peeta said.

My head cocked to the side as I tried to think of why winning would hurt his chances with the girl. "And why not?" Caesar asked, clearly as curious about the whole thing as I was.

He sat for a moment and stirred in his seat before admitting it. "Because I came here with her best friend," he said softly.

My brain took far too long to process the answer. I stood in stone silence with a stupid look on my face. What did he just say? He came here with her best friend. He came here with me and my best friend was Katniss. Oh... He had a crush on Katniss! I glanced back up at the camera and saw that it was on me. I looked like I had just been hit by a truck. I shook my head and steeled my face again. Great. His stupid confession had made me look like some fool who had no idea about her best friend's life. I looked like a terrible friend. The crowd was silent as Caesar nodded and placed his hand over Peeta's for a moment.

"Well, that's bad luck," Caesar said softly.

"Yeah. It is," Peeta answered, just as softly.

"And I wish you all the best of luck," Caesar told Peeta, looking actually genuine.

There were some times that you could tell that Caesar was rooting for a Tribute and this was one of those moments. Peeta nodded and stood. "Thank you," he told Caesar.

"Peeta Mellark. District 12!" Caesar yelled.

A moment later the cheers erupted. I saw Peeta walking down the steps and get back to the area where we were all waiting for him to leave. All pity and hope that I had had for him earlier flew out the window as my vision went red. He had made me look like a fool. It was hard enough to look tough with Cato lingering around but now I had to worry about my own District partner? As he walked over to us I stormed over to him and pushed him against the wall. In the heels I met his height, so I used it to my advantage. I pushed my arm into his throat, hoping that I was making it hard to breathe.

"What the hell was that? You make me feel like we're actually friends and then you say that you have a crush on my best friend? Katniss! Was that why you wanted to train alone? You wanted to get apart from me so that when we were in the Games, you could kill me without a second thought? She won't love you for this! She'll hate you if you do that! So that's how you wanna play?" I growled, ready to throw a punch.

There were arms around my waist but I was too angry and too focused on Peeta to check whose they were. "Stop! Stop it!" the voice yelled.

It was Haymitch. I knew that he would be furious with me right now, but I was furious with Peeta. He had made me look like a damned idiot. Katniss must have been beside herself so part of this was for her. I had thought that he might fight back with me, but he only stood there with a sad face. The fact that he wasn't fighting back only made me angrier. I shook my arm on his chest, hoping that he would fight me back, but he did nothing.

"Start right now," I growled at him.

Finally able to pull me away from Peeta, Haymitch grabbed me around the waist and flung me back so that he was standing between the two of us. I nearly toppled to the floor at the movement. I wanted to run back and take out the rest of my anger on him but I couldn't. Haymitch was blocking my path to him and I didn't want to risk getting injured the night before the Games.

"He did you a favor," Haymitch sneered.

I scoffed at Haymitch and shook my head. "He made me look stupid. Like the clueless best friend. And I thought that Cato was bad enough doing shit like this to me!" I yelled, throwing my arms up.

Was everyone determined to make me look like damn fool these days? Haymitch laid a hand on my shoulder and pushed me back one more step as I advanced on Peeta again. I had hoped that he wouldn't notice but he clearly had.

"He helped you. He made you look like a good friend. Which, in your case, can't hurt sweetheart!" Haymitch yelled.

I knew that I was a good friend. What did it matter if they thought I was a good friend? It mattered to them if I was a good killer. That was it, end of story. "He's right Aspen," Effie said softly.

Haymitch threw his hands up at her and shook his head. "Of course, I'm right," he snapped at her. "Now I can sell the Star Crossed Lovers from District 12 and 2. That will sell faster than any other pairing in history. Especially with your family's history with District 2. And I can sell the two of you. Friends that both want to get back to the same person," Haymitch.

Immediately recoiling in disgust, I shook my head. "We are not Star Crossed Lovers! Damn it, I have to kill him!" I yelled.

It seemed like every day my mission to kill Cato was getting harder and harder. Now they were going to try to sell us as Star Crossed Lovers. I would sooner eat my own foot. We were nothing like that. We just liked to mess with each other, and he liked to spring kisses on me at inopportune moments. Shaking his head at me, Haymitch pointed to the cameras.

"It's a television show. And being in love with that boy might just get you Sponsors which could save your damn life," Haymitch growled. He glanced around and realized that we were attracting a lot of attention. With us screaming at each other and starting fights, we were now a tourist attraction. "Okay... why don't you get out of here? Maybe acting to live will keep you both in one piece tomorrow."

"Manners," Effie snapped.

We all sighed and climbed into the elevator. I stood at the back of the elevator and Peeta was clear across the small space from me. The elevator finally dinged and I let everyone disembark before me. Haymitch, Effie, Cinna, Portia, and both Peeta and I's Prep Teams stepped out of the elevator. Both Peeta and I climbed off by ourselves. Instead of heading into the living room where the adults had gone we walked to our rooms. It had been a long day and tomorrow would be even longer. That was if I even made it to the end.

Right before I walked into my room, Peeta grabbed my arm and stopped me. I turned around and stared at him, wondering what more he could possibly have to say. "Look, Aspen. I'm sorry if I made you feel stupid when I admitted that I liked Katniss," he said.

"You did," I hissed.

"It's just that I wanted to be honest when I was up there and I was only thinking about what I wanted to say. I wasn't thinking about the fact that it might fall back on -" Peeta babbled on.

I held my hand up and smiled weakly. "I know, Peeta."

"Are you angry?" he asked.

"There are lots of people I'm angry at. It's not worth it to be angry with you. I didn't mean to get that mad at you and I shouldn't have. How's your throat?" I asked.

He smiled. "I'm sure I'll have worse," he said.

"I think that it's sweet that you like her. If it is you that gets back home I hope that things work out for the two of you. She's always kind of watched you. Since..." I trailed off, unable to say it.

"Yeah," he muttered.

"It's just that I'm so nervous about what's to come. The Games start in ten hours and I don't know where I stand with things. Plus there's Cato. I just don't get him. One minute he says that he doesn't want to kill me and the next he's debating on how to skin me. He just keeps me on edge and I unfairly took out my anger on you. I'm sorry," I told Peeta.

I was angry with him, but if we didn't get the chance to talk in the morning and something happened to one of us in the Games, I didn't want him thinking that I hated him. "I'm sorry too," he said.

"You don't have anything to apologize for," I said.

"Neither do you. Thanks, Aspen. Goodnight. And good luck tomorrow," he said.

"You too."

We gave each other a quick hug before he turned and walked into his room. I smiled at him and stepped into my own room. Quickly I showered and washed myself clean from everything that I had been decorated in. It was a longer process than usual. Stepping out of the shower, I pulled on a pair of tight black running shorts and an over-sized white sweater. I plopped myself into my bed and closed my eyes, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get to bed.

Hours must have passed. Nothing that I did was helping me to get to sleep. I just kept imagining what was going to happen tomorrow. So I decided to try and go for a walk to tire myself out. Rolling out of the fluffy bed, I looked at the clock and saw that it read nine past midnight. In just under nine hours I would be taken out to the hovercraft so I could be transported to the arena. I knew that it would be smart to get to bed but my mind was racing too fast.

So instead of getting back in bed I walked out of my room and took to the roof. I thought about going to the living room but I didn't want the noise to keep Peeta up. So I strolled through the garden slowly and then took my spot at the edge of the roof. I looked down and saw that there were parades and celebrations all through the streets. They would be up all night celebrating while I was terrified. They were all celebrating the Games to come while we were all here pondering if we would be alive tomorrow. While our friends and families were too paranoid to stop watching the televisions.

Shaking my head, I glanced away from the streets and looked up at the sky. With all of the lights from the Capitol shining it was impossible to see the stars that normally were scattered across the sky. I laid back and pressed my head against the stone. I heard the door shut to the roof as I laid back and watched the empty sky. The footsteps were from a barefoot male. Probably Peeta, who couldn't sleep either.

"I miss the skies at home. We could always lay out and watch them. Pretend that we were in some far off place where this was nothing more than a speck in the universe," I said dreamily.

I didn't know if Peeta wanted to listen to me babble or not, but I figured if he was standing here he was looking for company. "That sounds like a nice night," Cato said.

I jumped up from my spot at the sound of his voice. I had thought that it was Peeta up here, not him. How had he even known about this place? "I thought you were Peeta," I said honestly.

"I know."

We stayed in silence for a while. "Can't sleep?" I asked.

"Even Careers get nervous," Cato said.

"You're nervous," I asked disbelievingly.

"Not really nervous. Just too preoccupied to sleep," he said. I nodded at him. That was the same way that I felt. "I never got to go out at night. Every day and every night I was at the training center. There was never any time for us to have any fun."

"That sounds depressing. I've spent most of my life outdoors," I explained.

"You're lucky," he said.

My life was so far from lucky that it wasn't even funny. "I doubt I'm the lucky one." The screen of the billboard across the street flashed with an image of Cato and me in our Interviews with our newly-minted name in a banner across the top. "They love you," I said.

"Us. They love us," Cato corrected.

Suddenly an irritating thought came through my head. "Tell me something. Is it all just for publicity before the Games?" I asked, unable to stop myself.

"Of course not," Cato answered, so quickly that it surprised me.

There was something almost akin to relief that I felt. Relief because some stupid part of me wanted his feelings for me to be real. "I meant what I said about you," I muttered.

"I know." He walked over and took a spot next to me. He glanced over at me. It was the first hint of even a vague weakness that I'd seen from him. "How can you speak to someone like me and not get angry?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"The wealth and arrogance. Doesn't it bother you?"

"Did you not listen to my Interview? I called you an asshole." Cato smirked. "Of course it does. But I try to remember that everyone has a story. There's always something going on behind closed doors. And I'm a firm believer in trying to not judge a book by its cover."

There was something strange that went through his eyes. "Once when I was younger, I was beaten to a bloody pulp because I had spared a small rabbit during hunting class," he told me quietly.

No part of me could think why he was rationally telling me all this. Maybe it was the little human in him that wanted to share what had happened to him during his life, just in case something went wrong tomorrow. Or maybe he just wanted someone to know that he was human.

"I'm sorry," I told him, actually meaning it. "You just proved my point, if nothing else."

"Did I?"

"I thought that you'd be a ruthless killer. I thought that you always were. I'm glad that know that I was wrong. When I go out hunting, I have to just... forget that those are animals trying to survive out there. I just tell myself that they're my dinner. I hate killing them. But I have to. Turned out to be good practice, I guess."

"A hunter that doesn't like killing animals?" Cato asked.

"It's not my favorite thing in the world," I admitted. I'd never really loved hunting. "They're innocent. They deserve to live. One time Katniss and I tried to take Prim out hunting. We wanted to teach her. It was awful. Every time that one of us hit something Prim would cry and ask if we took it back if she would be able to nurse it back to health. We never tried again and she never mentioned it."

The corners of Cato's lips tilted upwards. "She sounds like a sweet kid," he said.

"She is. There's a reason that I couldn't let her come here."

Cato glanced over as he shifted a little closer. For once I didn't bother to move away. "I thought that hunting was illegal?" he asked.

"It is. But we'd starve to death without it. I could never get a job, not until I turned eighteen, so I settled for hunting. My best friend's father taught me how. I just practiced from there and got better," I explained.

"Food really that hard to come by?"

"If Peeta hadn't once purposely burned a loaf of bread from his bakery, I would have starved to death in the freezing mud," I answered bluntly.

It almost looked like Cato cringed. "But you made it," he said.

"Barely. Feels like that's the way it's been most of my life."

"What happened?"

"With what?" I asked.

"Your District partner."

Katniss was the only person that knew. Not even Gale, Ms. Everdeen, or Prim knew. "It's a long story," I said.

"Might be your last night on earth. And we have time," Cato said.

"Just mine, huh?" I asked. He smiled at me.

"Tell me," he goaded.

"It was during the worst time. Katniss and Gale's fathers had just been killed in the mine accident three months earlier in the bitterest January anyone could remember. He was like my father too. He was my father. The numbness of his loss had passed and the pain would hit me out of nowhere, doubling me over, racking my body with sobs. I'd already lost my real mother and father. His loss was even worse because I actually knew him. He wasn't just some imaginary figure.

"I'd beg and cry, asking where he was. Of course, there was never any answer. District 12 gave them both small amounts of money as compensation for his death, enough to cover one month of grieving at which time Ms. Everdeen would be expected to get a job. I got nothing because he wasn't really my father. So I just tried to help until Ms. Everdeen got a job.

"Only she didn't. She didn't do anything but sit propped up in a chair or, more often, huddled under the blankets on her bed, eyes fixed on some point in the distance. Once in a while, she'd stir and get up as if moved by some urgent purpose, only to then collapse back into stillness. No amount of pleading from Prim seemed to affect her. No yelling from me worked. Nothing.

"I was terrified. Katniss and I both were. Their mother was locked in some dark world of sadness, but at the time, all I knew was that I had lost not only a father, but a mother as well. Another pair. I couldn't believe that I'd managed to lose two sets of parents. Three, if I wanted to count Gale's. I tried not to. At thirteen and eleven years old, with Prim just seven, we took over as head of the family. There was no choice.

"We bought our food at the market and cooked it as best we could and tried to keep Prim and ourselves looking presentable. It's not hard in District 12. We all kind of look homeless. But there was a real reason that we did it. Because if it had become known that their mother could no longer care for us, the District would have taken us away from her and placed us in the community home. Had Ms. Everdeen not taken me when they did, I would have ended up there.

"I'd grown up seeing those home kids at school. The sadness, the marks of angry hands on their faces, the hopelessness that curled their shoulders forward. I could never let that happen to Prim. Prim who cried when I cried before she even knew the reason, who brushed and plaited Ms. Everdeen's hair before we left for school, who still polished Mr. Everdeen's shaving mirror each night because he'd hated the layer of coal dust that settles on everything in the Seam. The community home would crush her like a bug. So we kept our predicament a secret.

"But the money ran out and we were slowly starving to death. There was no other way to put it. I kept telling myself if I could only hold out until May, just May eighth, Katniss would turn twelve and be able to sign up for the Tessera to help us out. I'd been taking it out up until then. You know, my name was in the Reaping Ball one hundred and twenty-three time this year. That's why. I realized what a terrible idea it was to have Katniss take it out. So I took out more and more. It didn't help much. Katniss was determined that she would take some out but we still had several weeks to go. We could well be dead by then.

"Starvation isn't an uncommon fate in District 12. Who hasn't seen the victims back home? Older people who can't work. Children from a family with too many to feed. Those injured in the mines. Straggling through the streets. And one day, you come up on them sitting motionless against a wall or lying in the Meadow, you hear the wails from a house, and the Peacekeepers are called in to retrieve the body. Starvation is never the cause of death officially. It's always the flu, or exposure, or pneumonia. But that doesn't fool anyone.

"The afternoon that we met Peeta Mellark, the rain was falling in relentless icy sheets. Katniss and I had been in town, trying to trade some threadbare old baby clothes of Prim's in the public market, but there were no takers. Although the two of us had been to the Hob - District 12's black market - on several occasions with Mr. Everdeen, we were too frightened to venture into that rough, gritty place alone. I tried going once but someone stole the things that I'd been trying to sell and that was the last time. When I was a kid, at least.

"The rain had soaked through my father's hunting jacket, leaving me chilled to the bone. For three days, we'd had nothing but boiled water with some old dried mint leaves we'd found in the back of a cupboard. That was them. I'd eaten and drank almost nothing. By the time the market closed, I was shaking so hard we dropped the bundle of baby clothes in a mud puddle. We didn't pick it up for fear that we would keel over and be unable to regain our feet. Besides, no one wanted those clothes.

"We couldn't go home. Because at home was Ms. Everdeen with her dead eyes and my little sister... Katniss's little sister, with her hollow cheeks and cracked lips. I couldn't walk into that room with the smoky fire from the damp branches we had scavenged at the edge of the woods after the coal had run out. It was our bands empty of any hope.

"So we found ourselves stumbling along a muddy lane behind the shops that serve the wealthiest townspeople. The merchants live above their businesses, so we were essentially in their backyards. I remember the outlines of garden beds not yet planted for the spring, a goat or two in a pen, and one sodden dog tied to a post, hunched defeated in the muck.

"All forms of stealing are forbidden in District 12. Punishable by death. But it crossed my mind that there might be something in the trash bins, and those were fair game. Perhaps a bone at the butcher's or rotted vegetables at the grocer's. Something that no one but my family was desperate enough to eat. Unfortunately, the bins had just been emptied.

"When we passed the baker's, the smell of fresh bread was so overwhelming that I felt dizzy. The ovens were in the back and a golden glow spilled out the open kitchen door. I would have thrown up if there was even water for me to throw up, the smell was so horrible. Just because I was starving. But we stood mesmerized by the heat and the luscious scent until the rain interfered, running its icy fingers down our backs, forcing us back to life. We lifted the lid to the baker's trash bin and found it spotlessly, heartlessly bare.

"Suddenly a voice was screaming at us and we looked up to see the baker's wife, telling us to move on and did we want her to call the Peacekeepers and how sick she was of having those brats from the Seam pawing through her trash. The words were ugly and we had no defense. As we carefully replaced the lid and backed away, we noticed him, a boy with blond hair peering out from behind his mother's back. I'd seen him at school. He was two years behind me - like Katniss - but we didn't know his name. He stuck with the town kids, so how would we?

"His mother went back into the bakery, grumbling, but he must have been watching us as we made our way behind the pen that held their pig and leaned against the far side of an old apple tree. The realization that we'd have nothing to take home had finally sunk in. My knees buckled and I slid down the tree trunk to its roots. So did Katniss. We had no fat on us. It was too much. We were too sick and weak and tired. Let them call the Peacekeepers and take us to the community home. Or better yet, let me die right here in the rain.

"There was a clatter in the bakery and we heard the woman screaming again and the sound of a blow, and I vaguely wondered what was going on. My brain was barely functioning. Feet sloshed toward us through the mud and I thought that it was her. She was coming to drive us away with a stick. But it wasn't her. It was the boy. In his arms, he carried two large loaves of bread that must have fallen into the fire because the crusts were scorched black.

"His mother was yelling, 'Feed it to the pig, you stupid creature! Why not? No one decent will buy burned bread!'"

"He started to tear off chunks from the burned parts and toss them into the trough, and the front bakery bell rung and the mother disappeared to help a customer. The boy never even glanced our way, but I was watching him. Because of the bread, because of the red welt that stood out on his cheekbone.

"What had she hit him with? Katniss's parents never hit us. I didn't want to think that mine would have. Gale's never hit him or his brothers. I couldn't even imagine it. The boy took one look back to the bakery as if checking that the coast was clear, then, his attention back on the pig, he threw a loaf of bread in our direction. The second quickly followed, and he sloshed back to the bakery, closing the kitchen door tightly behind him.

"We stared at the loaves in disbelief. Then at each other. Then back at the bread. They were fine, perfect really, except for the burned areas. Did he mean for us to have them? He must have. Because there they were at our feet. Before anyone could witness what had happened we shoved the loaves up under our shirts, wrapped the hunting jackets tightly about ourselves, and walked swiftly away. The heat of the bread burned into our skin, but we clutched it tighter, clinging to life.

"There's still a small burn mark on my stomach. By the time we reached home, the loaves had cooled somewhat, but the insides were still warm. When we dropped them on the table, Prim's hands reached to tear off a chunk, but we made her sit, forced Katniss's mother to join us at the table, and poured warm tea. We scraped off the black stuff and sliced the bread. We ate an entire loaf, slice by slice. It was good hearty bread, filled with raisins and nuts.

"We put our clothes to dry at the fire, crawled into bed that we used to share, and fell into a dreamless sleep. It didn't occur to me until the next morning that the boy might have burned the bread on purpose. Might have dropped the loaves into the flames, knowing it meant being punished, and then delivered them to us. Katniss and I talked about it. But we dismissed it. It must have been an accident. Why would he have done it? He didn't even know us. Still, just throwing me the bread was an enormous kindness that would have surely resulted in a beating if discovered. We couldn't explain his actions.

"We ate slices of bread for breakfast and headed to school. It was as if spring had come overnight. Warm sweet air. Fluffy clouds. We liked to think of it as the beginning. A new beginning. At school, I passed the boy in the hall, his cheek had swelled up and his eye had blackened. Katniss and I both did. We stared at each other and tried to ignore the sight of him. He was with his friends and didn't acknowledge either one of us in any way.

"But as we collected Prim and started for home that afternoon, we found him staring at us from across the school yard. Our eyes met for only a second, then he turned his head away. We dropped our gazes, embarrassed, and that was when we saw it. The first dandelion of the year. A bell went off in my head. I thought of the hours spent in the woods with Katniss's father and I knew how we were going to survive. Hunting. Katniss and I started the plan and perfected the art. That's how it all started."

My story had taken almost a quarter of an hour. Cato watched me the entire time, his face contorting in something that looked almost like pain. "Is that when he fell in love with her?" Cato asked.

"Probably," I said. "She used to catch him staring at her from time to time."

"I'm so sorry, Aspen," Cato said.

There was something genuinely heartbroken in his voice. It brought out an irrational anger in me. "Don't pity me. I don't want it. Far worse things have happened back in District 12. And I would never have wanted to live anywhere else," I said almost nastily.

"Really? Even if it meant not starving?" Cato asked.

"Really."

A few beats of silence went by. "You're nothing like I expected you to be," Cato finally said.

I turned towards him. "You're exactly like how I expected you to be."

That was when I realized that I shouldn't have said it. Because Cato was nothing like I'd expected him to be. He was nothing like I had thought that a District 2 Tribute would be. Here he was speaking to me like another human being. He was almost being friendly with me. He was being a good person. And I had just told him a story that I'd told no one else. There was an almost bitter look on Cato's face. Had I accidentally hurt him? My words were a little harsher than I'd meant them to be.

A long silence passed. "This is the only thing that I wanted for all of my life. I wanted to come here and be the ruthless killer that I was trained to be. I wanted to go home and live in glory. I had this whole thing planned out. And then you come along," he said.

"Me?" I asked dumbly.

Cato looked over at me with a small grin. "You," Cato confirmed.

"I thought that you hated me," I said.

"I would have thought that I made it clear last night at the party."

"When you sprang a kiss on me?" I asked playfully. "The first kiss."

"And not the last," Cato said confidently.

We both laughed at that one. "Really? Now is the time to be cocky?" I asked.

"It's not cocky if it's honest," he said, making us both laugh once more. "Was that your first kiss?"

"I'm not justifying that with an answer."

"If you don't say anything I'll take it as a yes."

"What about you?"

"Of course not," Cato scoffed.

"Same," I said.

His eyes narrowed. The silence went from playful to rather heavy quickly. "I know that I would be able to kill anyone here without a second thought, anyone but you. I think I'd actually feel bad. I don't want to kill you."

Sitting in silence, I swung my legs over the edge of the building and laid a hand gently on his own hand. Despite the fact that we had now kissed twice, this was the most intimate we had ever been. It sent a strange shiver down my spine that I really didn't like. I hated the way that he made me feel. I hated the fact that he was starting to get to me. There was a lightness in my chest tonight that I hadn't felt in a long time. Not in the past few months at least.

"That Avox at the party," Cato said, breaking the silence. "You did know her, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"How?"

My gaze shifted to him. I'd been staring at the billboard for a long time. "Story time tonight?" I asked teasingly.

"Might be the last time we get to tell someone else a story without the rest of Panem listening in," Cato said, pretend to examine his fingernails.

"We were hunting in the woods one day. Hidden, waiting for game," I said.

"You and Katniss?" Cato asked.

"And our friend, Gale. Suddenly all the birds stopped singing at once. Except one. As if it were giving a warning call. And then we saw her. I'm sure it was the same girl. A boy was with her. Their clothes were tattered. They had dark circles under their eyes from no sleep. They were running as if their lives depended on it," I said.

For a moment I was silent. It was the first time that I'd really thought about it. I remembered how the sight of the strange pair, clearly not from District 12, fleeing through the woods immobilized us. Later we wondered if we could have helped them escape. Perhaps we might have. Concealed them. If we'd moved quickly. Gale, Katniss, and I were taken by surprise. But the three of us were hunters. We knew how animals looked at bay. We knew that the pair were in trouble as soon as we saw them. But we only watched.

"The hovercraft appeared out of nowhere," I continued to Cato. "I mean, one moment the sky was empty and the next it was there. It didn't make a sound but they saw it. A net dropped down on the girl and carried her up fast like the elevator. They shot some sort of spear through the boy. It was attached to a cable and they hauled him up as well. But I'm certain he was dead. We heard the girl scream once. The boy's name, I think. Then it was gone, the hovercraft. Vanished into thin air. And the birds began to sing again, as if nothing had happened."

"Did they see you?" Cato asked.

"We were under a shelf of rock. But they saw us. She saw us, at least. There was a moment, right after the birdcall, but before the hovercraft, where the girl saw us. She locked eyes with Katniss and I and called out for help. But neither Gale nor Katniss nor I responded," I muttered.

"You were scared. You would have been killed or turned into an Avox. She knew that," Cato said.

"At the time? Probably not. Now? Maybe."

"You're shivering," Cato said.

I hadn't even noticed it. The white sweater wasn't that thick. The wind and the story had blown all the warmth from my body. Lavinia might have forgiven me but I would always feel some guilt over what had happened to her. I could hear her scream. Had it been her last? Cato took off the black jacket that he was wearing and wrapped it around my shoulders. For a moment I thought about pulling away from him but I decided to let him. For just tonight we could be friends.

"They were from here?" Cato asked, securing a button at my neck.

"They had that Capitol look about them. The boy and the girl," I said.

"Where do you suppose they were going?"

"I don't know that," I said.

"You couldn't have stopped it, you know."

"I know. Sometimes I wonder if she'll enjoy watching me die."

"You're not going to die. Not immediately, anyways," he said, obviously trying to catch what he'd just said.

If I didn't die, it meant that he would. "She was in my room last night," I said.

"For?" Cato asked.

"I think she's been the Avox assigned to Peeta and I the whole time. She's been turning down my bed and taking my clothes and cleaning the room. She was in there. I think she thought that I wouldn't be in there," I explained.

"You weren't practicing with your Mentor or Escort?" Cato asked.

Snorting under my breath I shook my head. "I was. It didn't go well. Haymitch had told me that I was useless and had no angle that worked. I couldn't walk in Effie's shoes or follow her etiquette. She kicked me out. So I went into my room and ordered some food and destroyed the plates," I said.

The corners of his lips turned upwards. "You did well in your Interviews. They loved you out there," Cato said.

"They love you more," I said.

"I wouldn't bet on that," Cato said, giving me a pointed look.

Was he being serious? Judging by the look on his face I assumed that he was. But the people couldn't have loved me more. Sure there were a few cool things about me. I had volunteered for my best friend's little sister, I had a familial connection to the Games, I had scored a perfect score in training, and I was the Girl on Fire. But Cato was the fierce Career Tribute. He was the one that was more likely to live. And he was the one that had started the Star Crossed Lovers thing. I was still clueless about it. This was the longest conversation that Cato and I had had and I didn't want it to end.

"She came in. She was shocked to see me. I shouted at her to get out and leave the mess but she didn't. She helped me clean up. I finally got to apologize to her. She doesn't blame me. She knows that I'd I'd tried to help her I would have been killed or turned into an Avox too," I continued.

"She's right," Cato said.

"I was like a child. She tucked me into bed. I wanted her to stay with me but she didn't. She left. I haven't seen her much since. I don't know. There was something comforting about her being there. Her name is Lavinia," I muttered.

Cato looked surprised at that. "How do you know?" Cato asked.

"I asked her. She spelled it on my leg."

We were silent for a while. Cato looked over at me and gave me a little half-smile. "You're a good person, you know," he said. I looked over at him and smiled weakly. "District 2 teaches us that District 12 is weak and useless. You're kind and selfless. You love a girl that isn't even your sister. You starved yourself to keep her alive."

Laughing under my breath, I shook my head at him. "You make me sound like an angel," I said.

"You're not half-bad," Cato said.

We both laughed. "Good enough to get you to stop threatening to kill me?" I asked.

"Never," Cato said, making me smile.

Another long silence passed. "When I was ten I saw this girl get chained to our whipping post. She was getting thirty lashes for taking a piece of bread. She was starving. It was before I knew true starvation. I was living with the Everdeen's at the time. Katniss and I weren't that close at the time. But we saw it. Katniss tried to stop me when I stepped in for her. I guess I always had a savior complex. The girl cried the entire time that she watched me. It hurt like hell. I even passed out for a while. But they would wait until I was back in consciousness so that they could watch my face through the entire thing.

"Still I never cried. Not even when it was all over and they had all left. Katniss took me back to her house and nursed me back to health. That was the first time that we really got close. I think she saw that I was more like her than we originally thought. I swore to myself that day that there was nothing that could ever hurt me again. Mr. Everdeen decided that it was finally time that I knew the truth. No one had told me the truth about how my parents died. They'd never told me the truth. They told me that they'd died in a mining accident.

"Finally Mr. Everdeen told me how they had died. They told me about the Hunger Games and how they had died. They told me that they were trying to protect me from the truth. I was furious that they had. I wished that they'd told me the truth. But I got over it. That girl - the one chained to the whipping post - was three years older than me. She's twenty-two now, I think. She's married and happy. She never thanked me for what I did. I'm not bitter about it. I never expected a thank you. It was just a particularly bad day," I mumbled.

Cato reached over and laid a hand on my knee. "I am sorry about your parents," Cato said.

It surprised me slightly. I'd never thought that he really cared about my loss of my parents. "I never really got the chance to get to know them, so I guess it doesn't matter," I muttered. It was the same thing that I'd told myself since I was old enough to understand that I didn't really have parents.

"Everyone deserves to have their parents."

"I guess I never had them so I didn't really have time to mourn them. Don't worry, I had others in my life. Parent figures," I explained.

"Katniss's parents?" Cato asked.

"Yeah. Until her father died. It was like her mother died after that too."

"Everything changed after that?"

"Yes."

We sat in silence for a while. A picture of our kiss appeared on the billboard. We both chuckled under our breath at the sight. It was almost funny now. "You were saying that you don't believe in love?" he asked.

For a moment I hesitated. "No." A strange shadow crossed over his face. "Do you?" I asked curiously.

He was silent for a while. "I don't know," he finally said.

That was something that I'd honestly wanted to know. "Maybe one day you'll get to find out," I muttered.

A heavy silence fell. If he wanted to find out it meant that I would be dead. And it was obvious enough that we were getting into dangerously romantic territory. A few minutes later laughed. I glanced over at him. "My dad would kill me if he saw how soft I was being on you," he said.

I laughed and nudged him in the side. "I think you might be falling for me. I don't blame you, I'm pretty damn charming," I teased, with a false sense of pride.

He laughed and shoved me. I fell to the side, painfully reminded of Reaping Day, when Gale had done the same thing. "You're too annoying," he said.

"You're one to talk," I snapped back.

He grinned at me. "By the way. Did I hear you telling your District partner at lunch on the first day of training that you were chased by a bear once?" Cato asked.

"How long have you been waiting to ask me that?" I asked.

"How many days has it been?"

We laughed. "It was Prim's birthday a few years ago. Everything that she really loves is too expensive for us to afford. We couldn't save up without starving ourselves for something. We had been planning to get her a big dinner by spending the day hunting. Katniss and I were looking for a wild turkey when we spotted a beehive. Prim loves honey but we can never afford it. It was up in the tree. I knocked it loose with a knife and Katniss shot it down with an arrow. We were about to grab it when a black bear stole it right out from underneath us.

"We were furious. We'd spent all day trying to get it. And I'd heard that if you made yourself large and intimidating a black bear would leave you alone. So we started yelling at it. It was the wrong idea. The black bear chased us straight out of the woods. We couldn't go back for days. Anyways the bear won. It got the beehive and it was too late to buy anything. We had to tell Prim the truth. She ended up thinking that it was hysterical. We had branches in our hair and dirt was coating us.

"It ended up being a good day after all. There wasn't much that we could do for her on her birthday. So we did everything that we could. We picked some flowers and thread them into her hair. She didn't take them out until they were dead and Katniss and I pinned her down to remove them. We danced outside by a bonfire with Gale. It was the happiest that I'd seen her. She loved everything. We tried to make every birthday a little bit better for her. I hope that Katniss will keep the tradition going," I muttered.

It was the first time that I'd voiced my doubt that I might not win to Cato. "She will," Cato said, looking guilty as the words slipped out of his mouth.

"The bear left its mark," I said. I put my leg up on the ledge and showed Cato the thin scar that went from my ankle to halfway up my shin. "We like to think that scars are like physical stories back in District 12. Each one has a unique and fascinating history."

Cato gently laid his fingers on my ankle. His hand made its way from my ankle all the way to my knee. His touch made me shiver. I wished that I could say that it made me recoil in disgust. But it sent a sharp shiver of desire through me. He mistook my shiver for me being cold. He laid a hand over my shoulders and I smiled, finding that I fit into his side like a puzzle piece. I knew that this was a dangerous game to play, but just this one night I could enjoy him as another human being. We sat there for who knew how long. Probably about an hour. Finally I sat up and smiled at him.

"What?" Cato asked.

"It's getting really late and we have a big day tomorrow. I should try to get to bed."

He nodded at me and stood. I thought that we might have a nice parting but clearly I was wrong. "I like you, Twelve, and I had fun up here tonight. More fun than I've had in a while. But if you try to bring this up ever again, or tell anyone, I'll kill you," Cato warned.

My eyes hardened. "That so?" I asked.

"When the time comes I'll kill you. As slowly as possible. And you'll know, just before you die, that you failed, just like your parents did," he said.

There was a dangerous gleam in his eyes. It was a gleam that I hadn't seen in the entire time that we'd been sitting out here. I liked having not seen it. I noticed that this time it wasn't as vile. I glared at him but I knew that neither of us were that serious about it. His eyes were slightly soft behind the hard anger. I knew that mine were soft too. It didn't help that his voice had cracked slightly when he'd mentioned my parents. He didn't want to talk about them.

"That's fine, Two. Just know that you aren't the only one with plans. I think you know what happened to my parents. Both were killed by the District 2 male. Now it's my turn to avenge them. And it will be with your death. I'll stab you through the heart, just like they died. I want you to feel the pain that they felt when they died," I growled.

He smiled and walked up to me, touching my shoulder, making me feel smaller than ever. "Then I'll see you at the Death Match, Twelve. You'll die just like you always knew that you would and I'll win just like I always knew that I would," he said.

Just I went to challenge him again he did something that I should have seen coming by now. He grabbed me by my sweater and his jacket and pushed his mouth against mine. I stiffened for a moment. But I knew that this might be the last time that I got a kiss, so I let myself enjoy it. There was a red-hot anger behind the kiss that fueled it with fire. There was no District 2 and District 12 rivalry. There were only two angry kids that were in over their heads.

This kiss was the first one that I'd really gotten to enjoy. Gale had surprised me as had Cato the first and second times. I noticed that his hands went around to the back of my hips. His dipped even lower than the most daring of the Sponsors at the party the other night. But I said nothing. His touch didn't inspire disgust from me. It only drove desire through every nerve ending. Our mouths moved together for what felt to be a long time. His hands were gradually tightening over my hips with a bruising force. A few more minutes passed before he pulled away and winked at me.

"To remember me by. In case it's a few days before I see you again," Cato said.

Just in case this really was the last time that we would ever speak to each other, I called him back. "Cato," I said.

He turned back and smiled. "Aspen," he parroted.

"You're nothing like I thought you would be. Just so you know."

It looked like he might have smiled. "Be careful tomorrow, Twelve."

He strode back towards me, pressed a lingering kiss against my cheek, and walked off the roof like nothing had happened. Cato disappeared from sight and I sat there for a moment. My cheek was burning from the kiss. It was almost better than the one that he'd just given me. I finally shook myself from my stupor. Like a robot I made my way back to my room and fell into my bed. I rolled away from the door and slipped my eyes closed. All night I tossed and turned to the imaginary sound of a countdown, the ringing of blades, and the screams of the dying.


	9. Chapter Nine

A soft knock sounded on the door and I growled grumpily. For a moment I thought that I was back home in District 12 and Katniss was trying to get me to go on one of her early morning hunts. She loved them. She would wake me up at the crack of dawn and we would go out into the woods. Sometimes we would spend a few days to try and get as much game as we could. It usually worked out for us so that we could stay home and be with Prim for the following week. Usually leading up to a birthday or holiday. Not that we really had them.

The moment that I opened my eyes I realized that Katniss was hundreds of miles away from me. So were Gale and Prim. I would have sold my kidney to be back home with Katniss barking at me to wake up. Sighing softly I watched as the doors slid open and Effie was placed in front of me. I waited for her to say something stupid about today being a big day but she only nodded at me and walked away. I stared at her and nodded back. She disappeared from sight a moment later. Even she wasn't ready for today. That made two of us. At least she was going to let me silently mourn for myself.

Today was the day. The first official day of the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hunger Games. Today was the day that I might die. In just a few hours it would be very possible that I would be dead. Today was the day that the world would lose at least another six innocent children. Like usual, it would probably more than that. Shaking my head, I looked over at the clock and read that it was a few minutes before eight o'clock. I wanted to sleep but it was elusive. It meant that I had about an hour to prepare myself to leave for the hovercraft with Haymitch.

For a moment I paced back and forth in the room. As I ran my hands over my arms I realized that a jacket was covering them. It wasn't mine. It took me a moment to remember that it was Cato's. Our conversation from last night came flooding back to me. We had been almost friends. Not almost. We were friends last night. I'd told him things that I'd never told anyone else and I was sure that he had done the same with me. I debated on taking the jacket off but I wanted to remember Cato like he had been. Not the brutal killer that I was sure to see soon enough.

So I decided to ignore the clothes that would be laid out in my bathroom. It would be the majority of the outfit that I would wear in the arena. Likely the last thing that I would ever wear. I walked into the living room and saw that Peeta was already there. Everyone was. The Prep Teams and Cinna were absent. No one said anything to each other during the meal. I had heard that breakfasts the morning before the Games were usually either silent or loud and exiting - for the Career Tributes at least. I was sure that Cato was itching to get his hands on a blade and make his first kill.

Peeta did look at me with a sad smile halfway through. He grabbed my hand under the table and we both squeezed the other's hand. It was our little way of saying that we wouldn't hurt each other. No matter what happened to either of us, we would be friends until the end. However it was that we met our end. I wanted him to know that if he was the one who made it back home that he had my blessing to be with Katniss, but it was too quiet and I didn't want to disturb the small peace that we had. It was the calm before the storm.

Knowing that I had to eat something I grabbed a small plate of eggs and the smallest biscuit that I could grab. I topped it off with a tiny plate of fruit and a cup of water. It was a lean breakfast that would keep me through the day. But it wasn't so big that I would be sick from eating that much. Tributes had done that before and they always wound up dead. They would shovel their faces full of food on the morning before the Games and then they would hardly be able to move when the countdown ended. As I finished my meal I watched Peeta walked back into his room to change and then head down to the hovercraft.

He was scheduled to go down twenty minutes before me. We would be on it together with everyone else. Silently I wished him good luck before his door slid shut. I couldn't bring myself to actually speak. Once I had drained my water cup I walked back into my room. I breezed into my bathroom and stripped my clothes off. Perhaps it was the last outfit that I would wear that I had picked out for myself. I stepped into the shower and turned the dial up to the highest heat that wouldn't burn me. If this was the last time that I would ever take a shower I would make it a damn good one.

While I washed myself off I thought about everything that could happen today. I could step off the platform too early and get blown sky high. At least my death would be quick. But it was brutal. A few years ago a girl had come into the arena with a wooden sphere as her token. She'd gotten antsy and dropped it. The weight had been just enough to trigger the mines that were underground and they'd killed her. It had almost knocked off a few of the other Tributes. Very few people had made the mistake of getting themselves blown up before the countdown ended since she had.

There was also the chance that I could die in the Bloodbath. That alone was how most of the Tributes would die. At one time at least. Maybe the Tribute that catches me will make it fast. That was all that I would want if I died out here. Most people didn't want to kill someone else so they wanted to make any deaths that they caused as painless as possible. Or maybe Cato or Glimmer would catch me. They would make it painfully slow. Glimmer would at least. Cato I wasn't sure about. Not after last night.

Would he let me go in hopes that I would make it to the Death Match and be pinned against him? Or would he just end me there so he didn't have to worry about me anymore? Thresh and I had promised not to hurt each other but promises could be easily broken. Would he kill me? Would Peeta, if it really came down to it? What about Rue? Would she even make it through the Bloodbath? I hoped that the girl was smart and ran off before the real fighting started. Or maybe Finch would prove me wrong and pull a Johanna Mason. Look weak throughout the training process and then come out as an amazing fighter.

That was for everyone else. I was always so busy thinking about what they would do that I sometimes forgot to think about what I was supposed to do once that counter hit zero. What would I do? Would I be smart and head into the woods right off the bat or would I make a fool's move and run straight for the Cornucopia? Either one had benefits and drawbacks. I wanted to say that I would be smart and run but I knew that I would probably go for the supplies. If I lived through this thing, Haymitch would kill me for it.

He wanted me to go straight for the woods, or shelter, but how would I live? I would be starting with nothing. What if there was a bow and arrows? Or maybe knives? There would definitely be knives. There almost always were. I was sure that with both Clove and me in the arena, there would be all kinds. I needed things like that. Food or rope too. How was I going to hunt and get food if I had nothing to hunt with? I wouldn't have enough Sponsors right off of the bat. It might kill me but I needed to go into that Cornucopia. I could only hope that I would make it out alive.

As much as I wanted to think that I had Sponsors - and I likely did - they would probably take it like they normally did. For anyone that was outside of the Career Pack, Sponsors would normally wait a few days to ensure that they weren't wasting their money. They wanted to be sure that their Tributes were actually worth it. It would likely be a few days before I saw any gifts. I couldn't wait that long for food and water. Cornucopia it was. Briefly my mind flashed back home to District 12.

They played the Games on a huge screen at the Town Square. Most people, except the loved ones of the Tributes, would be there. They would be watching together and supporting their Tributes. The families of the Tributes normally watched in privacy, in the event that their family member didn't make it. They would want to mourn in peace. Would Katniss let Prim watch the Games? Would she even want to watch the Games? Would Gale want to watch? Or was he so mad at me for the Cato kiss that he wouldn't even care if I died? I had to live, if nothing else to know whether or not they hated me.

In District 12...

"Gale, stop pacing. You're either going to give yourself a heart attack or you're going to make a hole in the floor," Katniss Everdeen told the only male in her home.

Gale turned to her and shook his head, continuing his pacing like he hadn't even heard her. "Look away if it bugs you so much," he snapped.

He had been pacing like this ever since he had walked into the Everdeen house that morning. Katniss rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. She then ushered Prim over to the couch. "Prim. Come here," she said.

Primrose Everdeen's eyes were slightly red. Katniss had heard her up well into the night. She had been crying. "They start soon, right?" she asked softly.

"A few hours. Prim, you know that if something bad starts to happen -"

"I leave the room and don't get to watch the television until you know what happened. I know, Katniss, you've told me this a million times. She'll make it. Aspen is strong. There's no way that she won't make it."

Her words made Katniss let out a soft breath. That should have been her getting ready to die. But it wasn't and now there was nothing that Katniss could do. Prim shook her head with a determined glare and grabbed her bowl of soup. She wasn't very hungry, but if she didn't eat, Katniss wouldn't let her watch the Games at all. She had to watch. She had to know what would happen to the girl that had saved her, and her sister's, lives. Continuing his pacing in the corner, Gale slammed his hand into the wall as he passed.

Katniss gave him a glare for the sudden outburst and Prim looked on in shock. "Gale!" Katniss barked in warning.

Mostly he had been silent since Aspen had been Reaped, but he'd had a few angry outbursts. "How are you okay with this, Katniss?" Gale angrily asked his best friend.

"You think I'm okay with this?" Katniss asked harshly.

"You're not saying anything about it. That's Aspen out there. Our Aspen. And she's about to compete in the Games today. Damn it, she might not even be alive tonight!" Gale yelled.

Katniss's mother came out of her room and looked on at the group with a sad look. This was definitely the worst day that the mother had felt in her entire life. It only tied with the day that Aspen's mother had been Reaped, the day that Aspen's father had been Reaped, the day that her husband had died, and the day that Prim's name had been pulled. She had lost Aspen's mother, her best friend, to these Games years ago. She knew exactly how they were all feeling right now. They were afraid, angry, and guilty; despite the fact that they had nothing to do with it.

Storming up to him angrily, Katniss jammed a finger into Gale's chest. They both looked like they might say something before Katniss thought better of it. Instead she scoffed and grabbed his arm, dragging him out of the house. They stood on the small yard in front of her house, trying to keep calm. People were walking back and forth past her house, all looking grateful that they weren't going to lose a child or friend. But every time that they looked over at Katniss, Gale, or Prim, their eyes filled with pity.

"You're making a scene. Now stop it. You aren't the only one who's upset that she's there. How do you think Prim feels right now? She thinks the whole thing is her fault! And you're making it worse. There's nothing we can do. Aspen is there and the only thing we can do now is pray that she makes it back to us," Katniss told Gale with a stern glare.

Katniss wanted Aspen back more than anything, but she knew that they didn't have enough money to be a Sponsor. They would barely be able to afford a tiny piece of food for her. That wasn't what she would need and they couldn't send water. Gamemakers almost never let gifts that were water through. That was boring. They didn't have money for medicine or comfort items or anything of the sort. There was no way that either of them could help her. They were stuck as nothing more than people who wanted her home.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Gale asked.

"I'm pretty damn sure that I get it," Katniss snarled.

"I don't think you get that there's almost no chance that she's coming back! There's twenty-three other people out there that want her dead. She's being stupid out there. That kiss with the guy that she swore she would kill? What the hell does she think that she's doing?" Gale ranted, seething underneath his steady exterior.

Katniss sighed and pulled Gale onto the steps that led up to her house. She sat down and pulled Gale next to her, grabbing his hand. "I know that you think that she's being stupid, that she betrayed us, but we saw that video. Cato sprung that kiss on her and you know it. Look Gale, I know that you don't like the guy, and I really don't think that Aspen likes him either but -"

Gale scoffed loudly. "It looked like she liked him just fine," Gale interrupted.

Katniss pulled her hands away from him and stood over him. "Look, I know that you love her," she said.

Gale glanced at her with shock in his eyes. "I love you both. Don't be stupid," Gale said nonchalantly.

She snorted at him. "Oh, shut up. Don't look at me like you thought that I didn't know. I know that she means the world to you. I know that she's the person that you thought you would spend the rest of your life with. I know that your crush on her is why it breaks your heart so much when the two of you get into fights. Gale, you have to let it go for now. Trust that she knows what she's doing. If she does something with him while she's in the Games... it might just be because she can survive that way!" Katniss hissed.

Instead of agreeing that she was right, like Katniss had expected, he stood and glowered at her once he was towering over her. Gale had a way about him that could intimidate almost anyone. She wasn't much shorter than him, but he knew how to make a person shrink into themselves. Somehow that went for everyone except for Aspen. It didn't matter how angry Gale got. She was never afraid of him. Katniss knew that it was one of the things that he liked about her.

"Yeah, you just don't get it though. It doesn't matter if either one of them wins to you. If she comes back then you have your best friend back. If he comes back then you get to live happily ever after with the baker's boy. It's a win-win for you. I lose everything if she dies out there. Do you even care if she comes back anymore?" Gale asked, with fury in his eyes.

The hurt flashed through Katniss's eyes, and she began to tear up as she stared at Gale in shock. Through all of the fights that they had been through, there had been much louder and more violent ones. But none of them had been as painful as this one. He had said some cruel things before, but never something like that. Never to her. They were each other's best friends. They fought, but they never had said anything like that to each other.

"How could you ever think that about me? I don't even know Peeta! What he said was sweet, but Aspen is my best friend and I would die to get her back here! You should know that," Katniss yelled, with tears beginning to roll down her face.

Gale scoffed at her and stormed off, leaving her on the front steps of her house, confused and hurt. He could barely hear Prim come out and speak with her older sister. "Katniss?" Prim asked.

"It's fine, Prim. Go inside."

"Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine. He just needs to cool down."

"She needs to come home. Things are bad without her here," Prim said.

That was the last bit that Gale heard. She was right about Aspen having to come home. She was probably the easiest to anger out of the three of them but for some reason she was also always the calming force. She was the one that diffused the fights and got them all to be friends again. Gale stomped away from the Everdeen house, determined not to see what was about to happen to his best friend. She would act brave for Prim but the moment that her sister looked away, Gale knew that she would lose it.

Without taking a care in the world, Gale stormed to the fence and threw himself under it. He quickly made his way to the spot where he, Katniss, and Aspen would always sit up on their hill. In what seemed to be far less time than normal he arrived at his destination and threw himself onto the ground. He sat with his arms folded over his legs, the wind blowing harshly at him. Aspen had always loved the wind. So did Katniss. He sighed and laid his hands on the two spots that his two favorite girls would always sit in. In one week he had managed to lose the both of them.

But he didn't want to think about that. He could get Katniss back. There was a good chance that he would never get Aspen back. He hadn't even gotten to finish saying that he loved her and that he always would. Hopefully she knew. He wished that someone would ask her but she would likely be almost silent during the Games. He hated being reminded of them. The view out to the Square was a terrible one. He could see them prepping for it now. There were cameras set up all over the place. He knew that just out of view was a huge screen that would show everything that happened to Aspen.

But he didn't want to know what was going to happen to her. He loved her. He couldn't watch the girl that he loved get slaughtered. He couldn't bear the thought that she had no idea how he felt about her. He had kissed her before she left but she had probably thought that it was more on impulse than anything else. She had even admitted in her Interview that she had no idea how she felt about him. But she had said the same thing about Cato. Why was he so close with her? What did he have that Gale didn't? He had always taken care of her and Cato was threatening to kill her.

Nothing made sense right now. Gale still couldn't understand how it made sense that Aspen was even in the Games. Prim's name had only been in there once. Aspen was right. How could her name, of the thousands inside that bowl, have been drawn? He sighed and laid back on the grass. He knew that he should go and apologize to Katniss for what he had said. If Aspen were here she would be shouting at him to go do it. He had never made Katniss cry before this and he never wanted to make her cry again. It wasn't her fault that Aspen was gone. She had tried to stop it.

And it really wasn't her fault that Peeta had confessed that he loved her. She had never even really met the guy. He had only helped her once when she had been starving to death. He was just taking all of his anger out on the person who was the closest to him. Unfortunately that was Katniss. He had been avoiding his family lately. He loved Katniss just as much as he did Aspen, but there was something different about Aspen. She was just different from Katniss. He loved both girls and knew that he was going to grow up to marry one of them, but he had always thought that it would be Aspen.

Now she was on a one way trip towards death and Katniss would probably never speak to him again. He slammed his fist into the grass and threw his head back on the soft ground. Bells began to toll in the background and he sighed at the warning. It was what told citizens that there was only an hour and a half left before the commencement of the Games. Gale thought back to Aspen and took a deep breath. Please be careful, Aspen. Come back to us, come back to Katniss and I. Please be safe out there. Don't be the hero, Gale pleaded silently with a girl that couldn't hear him.

"Come back home, Tiger," Gale said, hoping that somehow she could hear him.

In the Tribute Remake Center...

I stepped out of the shower and onto the drying pad. I would really miss it. It was so much easier than waiting for my long hair to dry itself. I looked in the mirror once the dryer had done its work and stared at myself. I still looked the same but tougher. I looked like I was ready to go. That was a good thing. There was no more sweet and innocent Aspen. The girl that was about to go into these Games was different. She couldn't care about what happened to other people. She couldn't care if she was tired or hungry. All she could think about was how badly she wanted to win. If I came back I would be completely changed.

Kicking my clothes to the side of the bathroom I took my time pulling my underwear on. I looked at myself sideways in the mirror and nodded. I had been muscular but skinny before. Now with the Capitol food I had filled out slightly. The curves that I already had were more pronounced now. Sighing at myself, I pulled on the sports bra that had been laid out for me and tightened the straps. I couldn't stop because of a wardrobe malfunction. Walking over to the vanity that was outside of my bathroom I glanced at the Tribute outfit that had been laid out.

It was a very traditional outfit for the Tributes to wear. Only when the arenas were filled with water, overheated to an unbearable temperature, or practically frozen solid did the costumes appear to be a little different. This one gave away almost nothing about what the weather in the arena would be like. There was a pair of reasonably tight cargo pants that were a deep green. I pulled them on quickly and did a quick dash around my room. They were good. They were easy to move around in.

I pulled on the pair of socks that they had given us afterwards. They were thick and went around the ankles which made me think that the arena might get cold at night. The shirt was the last thing that I grabbed. It was a dark maroon with a slight v-neck. I pulled it on and let it fall around me. It was over-sized slightly but that meant that it would be easier to grab onto another Tribute's clothing if I needed leverage in a fight. There was a pair of black combat boots laid out for me too and I pulled them on. They reminded me of the ones that I owned, but these were newer.

Nodding at my outfit, I walked over to the vanity and grabbed the hair tie that was laying there. I pulled my hair into a waterfall braid that went down my back and looked myself over once more. I looked like a Hunger Games Tribute. I looked like I was ready to fight. But deep down, I was terrified. I wasn't ready to die and I sure as hell wasn't ready to take a life. But I knew that I would have to if some Tribute came charging at me with a knife. It was live or die. There was no thinking. There was only acting.

The clock showed that it was starting to push nine o'clock. I wished that they started first thing in the morning so that I didn't have time to dwell on them. Instead we had to sit around all day and think about what was to come. It was good and bad. The actual Games didn't start until ten because so many of the Capitol residents rise late. They had nothing better to do with their lives. Even that made me angry. Here we were, ready to die to entertain them, and they couldn't even be bothered to wake up early. It didn't matter. Everyone - the Tributes and Mentors and Stylists alike - makes an early start today.

There was no telling how far we would travel to the arena that had been prepared for this year's Games. They never actually said where they were. Out in the middle of nowhere, I assumed. It was likely going to be a long flight. I knew Haymitch and Effie wouldn't be going with us. As soon as they left here, they would be at the Games Headquarters, hopefully madly signing up our Sponsors, working out a strategy on how and when to deliver the gifts to us. Cinna and Portia would travel with us to the very spot from which we would be launched into the arena. Final goodbyes would be said here.

Finally it was time. I wasn't ready to leave the room that I had grown so accustomed to. The clock read nine. I was already late to head to the hovercraft. Like clockwork a knock came at my door and I opened it. Effie was standing in front of me with a small smile on her face. She looked like she was searching for something to say but I shook my head and gave her a sad smile. At this point there was nothing left to say. Pulling her into a hug, she gripped me tightly before I pulled away. This wasn't her fault. She was just doing what she had been raised to think was right. I waved goodbye to her as Haymitch walked out.

That was when I realized that Peeta was with him. We must have been running very late. If the Capitol citizens couldn't bothered to be on time, neither would we, I supposed. Effie actually took both of us by the hand and, with actual tears in her eyes, wished us well. She stood and thanked us for being the best Tributes it has ever been her privilege to sponsor. It almost made me smile. And then, because it's Effie and she's apparently required by law to say something awful, she added something completely useless.

"I wouldn't be at all surprised if I finally get promoted to a decent District next year!"

My jaw set. "I'll miss you, Effie," I said.

Then she kissed us each on the cheek and hurried out, overcome with either the emotional parting or the possible improvement of her fortunes. In the meantime Haymitch had left and taken Peeta down to the hovercraft. I leaned back against the couch and waited for him to return. He was back in a matter of minutes. A strange wave of calmness had swept over me. I was sure that it wouldn't stay that way for long. Haymitch crossed his arms and looked me over as he approached.

It was the most serious that I'd seen him at any given time. Some part of me wished that he would make a rude comment or something to make this moment seem a little less deadly. Haymitch grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the elevator. I stepped inside and watched as the doors closed. Effie had reappeared from her bedroom. She was waiting at the end of the hallway, waving to me the entire time. I returned the wave up until the doors shut and I was taken on my way to slaughter. Haymitch laid a hand on my shoulder and looked at me.

"How you doing, kid?" he asked.

Laughing, I shook my head. The laugh was a real one but it was sad rather than genuine. "How do you think I'm doing, Haymitch? I'm about to go fight for my life against twenty three people and more than half of them want to kill me. I have no idea how I'll kill some of these people, I have no idea if my friends hate me, and I have no idea what the hell Cato is doing to me. I don't know what I'm doing," I complained.

Haymitch nodded and looked me straight in the eye. "You listen to me and you listen good, Aspen. You are more than capable to kill anyone out there," Haymitch said.

"If I can get to a weapon," I muttered.

"Don't go for the Cornucopia. You're small and have that advantage. Take something after the Bloodbath. Steal it. Do whatever you need to do. You didn't get that twelve in training for nothing. You do what you have to do to get back here, you understand me?" Haymitch asked.

"Yes," I whispered.

I didn't want to kill anyone but that wasn't an option. I would have to take lives. I knew that. "As for your friends, it doesn't matter what you do out there. If they're true friends they'll love and stand by you no matter what," Haymitch said.

"I know."

"As for Cato... You know what you came here with in mind. You're going to kill him because of what his people did to your parents. It's for your mother and father. Don't let him sweet talk you," Haymitch warned.

"I won't," I said.

I took in a deep breath. "Promise me," Haymitch said.

"Promise."

No matter what Cato would try to do or say to me I would keep it in my head that I would kill him. No hesitation. First chance that I got I would kill him. "Remember that promise whenever it gets hard," Haymitch said.

It would have been easier with him in there with me. I nodded again. "I can do this," I breathed quietly.

Haymitch laid a hand on my shoulder and nodded at me. "You're damn right that you can. I believe in you, Aspen. I'm putting my chips down on you. Now a few last minute tips," Haymitch said.

It felt like time was flying by as the elevator door opened. I was almost to the hovercraft. I would be at the arena soon enough. I was sure that I was about to vomit up my breakfast. But I steeled my nerves and walked forward. Cameras weren't down here but I refused to look weak. For myself. We walked down a hallway behind the elevator that I had never been down. I could see a bright light at the end of the tunnel. The launch pad where the hovercraft was sitting. Waiting for me.

"The Cornucopia first. They put all kind of stuff right in front. Right in the mouth of the Cornucopia. There'll even be a bow and knives there. Don't go for it," Haymitch said, with a look that said this wasn't up for debate.

He was serious about me not going into the Cornucopia. I knew that he was probably right but I wanted to know why. The Cornucopia was always the place that had everything that a Tribute would need to survive. It was what could make the difference for me between life and death if I couldn't get an Sponsors. It was the best chance that I had at a weapon. Would I be able to survive on no supplies? Yes, but not for very long. Would the Sponsors send me something? That was if I even had Sponsors. Cato had probably stolen all of the Sponsors what I had gotten.

"Why not?" I asked Haymitch, walking down the hallway.

"It's a Bloodbath. They're trying to pull you in. It's not your game. You were talking about how you're nervous that the other Tributes want you dead. The ones that do are going to run straight in there. And whether or not you're fast, you're going to get cut off by another Tribute. And that's a fifty-fifty chance that you'll win that fight. Don't go there. It's where Cato will be betting on you going. You turn, run, find a high ground. Look for water. Water's your new best friend," he said.

I nodded, I knew that it was the best idea to find water. "Water. Got it," I said.

I would dehydrate within three days of being in the arena if I couldn't find water. "Don't step off that pedestal early or they'll blow you sky high," Haymitch warned.

I nodded at him. "I won't," I said, meaning it.

The year with the girl's token hadn't been the only brutal death. Three years ago a girl had gotten jumpy and slipped off of her platform. Thankfully Prim hadn't been watching when she did. The girl had been blown to pieces within a millisecond of hitting the ground. The first Tribute dead that year. I hadn't cried at the scene of her guts on her neighbors but I had huddled in Gale's arms with Katniss until the Bloodbath was over. I hoped that it wouldn't happen again this year. It was always a brutal and disgusting death. But at least it wasn't painful.

We exited the hallway and the hovercraft was now sitting before me. I looked away, not wanting to see it yet. It was taking me to my death. Before I went to walk away from Haymitch I saw that Finnick was across the cement runway, saying goodbye to his Tribute. Coral. She looked exactly like me in her outfit and her face was stone cold as usual. Finnick realized that someone was watching him as he looked up and nodded at me. I nodded back and tried to smile at him but failed miserably.

"Aspen," Haymitch called, shaking me from my thoughts. "You can do this."

Haymitch and I turned towards each other as he placed his hands against my arms. We both glanced at the hovercraft before looking back at each other. I patted Haymitch on the chest and smiled weakly. "Thanks," I told him.

Even if I died, I would be thankful. Haymitch patted me on the side of the face and I smiled again. It might be the last time that I saw him so I wanted to depart from this as friends. I pulled away from him and he turned me to the hovercraft. It was huge and took up most of the loading bay. It was painted stark black. There were windows but it was impossible to see in. Of course. They didn't want people to see the Tributes before they got into the arena and they didn't want us to be able to see out. Coral got onto the hovercraft and I began to make my way over to the lowered platform.

Before I took three steps to it though a voice called my name and I turned back at the sound. The man whose voice I heard shocked me. It was Seneca Crane. Why wasn't he up with the other Gamemakers getting ready for the countdown? At this point we were only about half an hour out. If they had been having such problems that they had had to push the Games back a day, shouldn't he be making sure everything was working smoothly? He smiled as he walked up to us and took Haymitch by the hand, giving him a firm shake. Haymitch smiled begrudgingly but looked like he was ready to pull Seneca's head off.

"Mr. Abernathy. Thank you for getting Aspen this far but I can take over from here. I believe your time would be more wisely spent getting more Sponsors for our Tribute here, don't you think?" Seneca asked.

"It's my job to see her off," Haymitch growled.

"Not to worry, I only need five minutes with her and then it's onto the hovercraft. I'll watch out for her."

Haymitch looked at me with sorrow but I shook my head. He hadn't asked for Seneca Crane to meet us out here so it wasn't right for me to be angry with him. Haymitch pulled me into one last hug and I said goodbye to him one final time. Just in case things went wrong. Haymitch turned on his heels after that and I was left alone with Seneca. Not completely alone though. There were Peacekeepers that were carefully watching the time.

"Mr. Crane, don't take this the wrong way, but shouldn't you be up in the Control Room now? Getting ready for the Games?" I carefully asked him.

The last thing that I needed was for him to angry with me right before the Games started. He laughed and shook his head at me. "Just Seneca, Aspen, please. We're friends here. All of us are really. You, me, even President Snow. We are all allies in this. We can be even better friends if you make it out of this. Besides, you know that you're a favorite of the both of ours. You just need to play along to our rules," Seneca told me.

"You aren't allowed to favor Tributes. Not even President Snow is allowed to show the Tribute that he's rooting for. It shows favoritism and people might assume that there is cheating involved," I told Seneca as if I was reciting it from a textbook.

I'd never heard myself so empty of emotion. I didn't know what it was but I went completely rigid whenever he was around. Maybe it was because he held my life with a single button. Literally. He could blow me the smithereens or he could set a mutt on me. Hell, he could probably even set me on fire. Once more he laughed at me and I couldn't help but feel like a fool. Why was he laughing at me so much? Was I really that foolish? He wasn't allowed to pick favorites. Neither of them were. I was sure of that.

"Very good, Aspen. We aren't vocally allowed to say who our favorites are. But we can keep them in our minds. Don't worry though, I won't take it easy on you. I won't warn you when you have a Tribute on your tail, I'll still send mutts after you, and I'll still blow you apart if you step off of that platform even half of a second before the counter reaches zero," Seneca said, with a nasty smirk.

"Why would you come to threaten me in person? I knew all of those things. Was this only to unnerve me or was there a reason that you're wasting my time?" I asked bravely.

It probably wasn't wise to say something like that to him, but I wasn't really thinking straight. He smirked like he was proud of the way that I was speaking up to him. "That is exactly why I came to talk to you in person. Your attitude. You're so brave, Aspen. I love watching you. I think you'll put on quite the show during the Games. You have no idea how thrilled people are that there is a love story this year, and a Tribute with a perfect training score. All you need to do to survive in these Games is do as we say," he said.

"I don't understand."

He stopped me with the raise of his hand. "Trust me, you'll know what I mean when we get to that point. I wish you luck, my dear. I really do want to see you come back here. I think we can have lots of fun together," Seneca said, with a sly wink.

I nearly puked but I was determined to look strong. So I nodded and walked away from him, heading to the hovercraft. I walked up the ramp quickly and into the ship as the platform raised up behind me and sealed us in the hovercraft. The seats were lifted off of the floor and we were held in place by chest restraints. Did they really think that we were going to try to escape that much? I supposed that it had happened before. I was lead over to the only empty chair that remained in the hovercraft.

I was supposed to be the last person to arrive anyways. I was in between Glimmer, who was giving me creepy smirks while looking like she was ready to tear my head off, and the boy from District 5, who looked like he was about to cry. Cato was across from me. He winked at me as I was getting strapped in to my chair. He kept giving me looks and I was doing my best to ignore them. Last night hadn't happened. It couldn't. Peeta was right next to him and he looked to me with a nod that I returned. We wouldn't hurt each other. We were better than that.

Falling back into my chair my legs lifted off of the floor and I heard Cato laugh audibly at me. The Peacekeepers growled at him not to laugh or make any noise. For once he actually listened without saying anything. He was ready for this. I could tell. He seemed to be running a game plan through his head as he was rolling his wrists. He was ready to slice someone's stomach open. It damn sure wouldn't be mine. He had claimed me as his but I was no one's but my own. And I would show him that.

Gone was the boy from the rooftop last night. It almost made me sad to look at him like that. I wanted to remember the Cato that had comforted me over the loss of parents, near starvation, and whipping. Gone was the Cato that had laughed at my near-death from a black bear. There was a good chance that I would never see that Cato again. The boy who had been beaten for sparing a rabbit in hunting class was long gone. This was the monster that was ready to slaughter other children. This was the Cato that I needed to think about. The one that was too dangerous for me to like.

"Give me your arm," the muffled voice of a Peacekeeper growled.

He took Cato's wrist and shoved a needle into his arm. My face immediately paled. That was a huge needle. Cato didn't move at all but I knew that the needle must have hurt. It looked like something that should be used on a horse. The man pulled the needle out of Cato's arm and he rubbed his hand over where he had been stabbed. What were they doing? Taking blood? That wouldn't make any sense. They had already done that. Tranquilizing us until we got there? Cato looked fine so it must not have been that.

"Give me your arm," the Peacekeeper told Glimmer.

She handed her arm over and winced as the needle went into her arm. I had to give the girl credit, she did better than I would have thought she would. They did the same to Rue a moment later. I was glancing back and forth between the Tributes and accidentally locked eyes with Finch. We stared at each other for a moment before awkwardly blinking and looking away. Everyone was pressed back in their chairs except Cato. He was leaning forward on his knees, longing around.

"Give me your arm," the man said as he held the needle over my arm.

Not wanting to be stabbed without knowing what it was that they were doing, I asked probably the most idiotic question I could have. "What is that?"

Glimmer snorted at me and I had to resist reaching out and slapping the smirk off of her face. If I was more confident that I would survive the Bloodbath I would go for her first. "Your tracker," the man said.

Immediately it made sense. They always put the trackers in the Tributes so that they could keep track of us as we moved throughout the arena. They wouldn't want to lose us, would they? I had just always thought that it had been on their clothes, not in them. Although that explained how they could tell when Tributes were dead or not. It measured our vitals. A sharp pain shot through my arm suddenly and I kicked out without thinking. The Peacekeeper dropped onto his knees with a grunt and I heard the bark of laughter come from Cato.

Everyone on the aircraft looked over at me. I was mortified. The man stood back up and reeled his hand back, ready to hit me in the face. I tensed up, ready for the blow, but it never came. Right as he brought his hand down another Peacekeeper caught him.

"Don't! We aren't supposed to injure the Tributes. She'll get hers in the arena. Let it go," the second Peacekeeper told his partner.

The man with the needle snatched his arm back and held it out to me. "Listen here, 12. I hope you're the first to go and I hope you go slowly. I'm gonna enjoy watching you die," he snarled.

My face paled as he stood up and headed next to me, to the boy from District 5, who now looked like he was about to pass out. That poor kid would probably be dead before we even made it to the arena. I flipped my arm over and looked at the faint blue glow that was coming from my forearm. I felt the hovercraft shift and I sucked in a breath. We were off. We were on our way to the arena. It would only be about ten or fifteen minutes before we got there. After that it was five minutes until we went into the arena. Then there was one minute to gather yourself and then it was all out war.

The windows darkened as the hovercraft began to creak and shake. The lights went down before the artificial blue lights took over. Everyone - even the Careers - jumped slightly. None of us knew exactly what was about to happen. I took a deep breath and leaned back in my chair, glancing up at the ceiling of the hovercraft. I couldn't bring myself to look around and meet eyes with the other Tributes. Not the excitable or terrified ones. Since there was nothing that I could do while we were on here I might as well think up a plan.

Should I take Haymitch's advice and run or should I be brave and make a run for a pack or small weapon near me? I knew that the Careers would be after me but I also knew that I was faster than them. Glimmer and Clove were naturally slow and so was Marvel. Cato was fast but his weight slowed him down. I could pick up some provisions and be off before they even got to the mouth of the Cornucopia. Finch was the only person who tied me for speed but I knew that she wouldn't kill me. She wasn't the type. That didn't mean that I wouldn't be weary of her. I didn't want her to end up being another Johanna.

So I had a plan. I would make a mad dash for something small and then run like hell out of the Bloodbath. Hopefully I wouldn't get tangled up with any Tributes. Especially the ones that wanted me dead. That was most of them though. It didn't matter. I would be able to do it. I'd wait for the Careers to slaughter each other and everyone else and then I would come out with only one person left. It was such an easy plan. The question was could I make it work? Probably not. Not with Cato determined to toy with me. And definitely not with Seneca Crane and President Snow's eyes on me.

The hovercraft shook slightly and I looked back up, immediately meeting Cato's gorgeous blue eyes. Stop it, Aspen. You can't afford to think like that. As of now, you hate him and you will do anything it takes to kill him. People just like him murdered the only family that you had. It was time to show him what it was like to be on the pointy end of the blade. He merely watched me with a confident smirk as the hovercraft settled into the dirt. We were here. It was time. Just before someone undid his restraints he looked at me with bright eyes. I'm coming for you, he mouthed to me before he was taken from the hovercraft.

You'll never catch me. I waited for everyone else to be released before they finally unlatched my restraints and grabbed my arms. It was a good thing that they were dragging me with them because my legs felt like rubber. I couldn't support myself. Two of the Peacekeepers that were lining the hovercraft picked me up and stood on either side of me. I eventually gathered my wits and walked right behind the armed guards as they led me to my room. It was there that I would be brought in a small tube up into the arena.

We walked through the area that was called the Catacombs by the viewers. This place would be decorated with pictures and videos along with cases after the Games ended and people would be sold tickets to come here and see where the Tributes prepare for their Games. It was sick but it was something that the Capitol people loved. They thought that this place was a fun tourist attraction, but it was nothing more than a tomb. A tomb that twenty-four kids would walk into and only one child would get to walk out of.

I passed doors on both sides of the hallway and read the titles under each. They weren't names or Districts. They were identified by numbers. That was what we were. We weren't even people anymore. We were numbers. I was stopped at the middle of the long hall and stood in front of the door, waiting for it to slide open. I only waited for a moment before the doors slid open. I was ushered inside. The doors slid shut behind me and I heard a deadbolt lock behind me. They really didn't trust us. The first thing that I saw was the glass tube that would take me to the arena. We were below it now. It was hard to believe.

Until now I'd been managing myself. But I was here. I was right here. Just about twenty feet above me was the arena. The arena that I would likely die in. I looked around the room that I was standing in, desperate to think about something else. But I couldn't. All of my thoughts were on this place and how truly doomed I was to be here. In the Capitol, they called this place the Launch Room. In the Districts, it's referred to as the Stockyard. The place that animals go before slaughter. It had never felt more appropriately named.

Everything in the room was brand-new. Glancing around I realized that no one else had ever set foot in here. Except for Cinna. I would be the first and only Tribute to ever use this Launch Room. The arenas were historic sites that were preserved after the Games. They were popular destinations for Capitol residents to visit on their vacations. It was cruel. They would go for a month, rewatch the Games, tour the Catacombs, and visit the sites where the deaths took place. Cruelly enough, you could even take part in reenactments. I wondered who would reenact mine. They said that the food was excellent.

A shadow moved across the corner of the room and I panicked for a minute. Had Cato gotten in here somehow? That was a stupid thought. He was under guards until we got into the arena. We all were. No one wanted any premature deaths. The movement continued and Cinna stepped out of the dark corner and over to me. For a moment I'd almost forgotten that he was here. There was no one else that I would rather see. Not Prim, who would be panicking. Not Gale or Katniss, who would hurt too badly to leave. Not Haymitch, who would just make me nervous. Not Effie, who would irritate me. Only Cinna.

"Cinna," I breathed.

He walked straight over to me as I launched myself into his arms. He tightened his hold and shushed me. My breathing was rapid and heavy. I was shaking. We were given the minute warning. I was truly afraid now. This had all become real in a matter of minutes. I was shaking desperately as Cinna handed me a jacket. It looked like it was built for cooler weather. It seemed like this year we would be in a more temperate climate. Maybe cold at night. That was about normal. I knew that we wouldn't be in a tundra. That would be boring for the Capitol citizens.

"Here," Cinna said.

My hands were starting to sweat and I wiped them off. I couldn't afford to grab something and drop it. Cinna zipped the jacket up and looked at me. He moved something onto my jacket and I took a look at it. It was gold and small. What was that? I looked closer and saw that it was my Mockingjay pin. The token that Madge had given me. I had forgotten that I even had it. Cinna hushed me and I nodded at him. He stepped back and I smiled weakly.

"Thank you," I said. "I almost forgot that I had it."

"It's your district token, right?"

"Yes," I said as he pulled my hair over it.

"It barely cleared the review board. Some thought the pin could be used as a weapon, giving you an unfair advantage. But eventually, they let it through," Cinna said. I snorted under my breath. I would have never thought to do that. "They eliminated a ring from that District One girl, though."

My eyebrows rose. "Glimmer?" I asked.

"That's her."

"Why?"

"If you twisted the gemstone, a spike popped out. Poisoned one." My jaw dropped. That was why she had volunteered. She had been planning on using an unfair advantage. I grinned. "She claimed she had no knowledge the ring transformed and there was no way to prove she did. But she lost her token," Cinna explained.

"Bet you she was planning on using it on me."

"Now she can't. There, you're all set. Move around. Make sure everything feels comfortable."

At least she wouldn't be able to poison me. Knowing Glimmer it was probably a slow-acting poison. She would likely want to make her victims suffer. Now she would have to rely on her skills alone. I knew that she was probably more proficient in weapons than the average Tribute, but there were probably other girls from District 1 that would have done better than her. I was grateful that they weren't here. I walked, ran in a circle, and swung my arms about.

"Yes, it's fine. Fits perfectly," I muttered.

"It's time," Cinna said.

As far as I knew, heart problems weren't common in District 12. We were more concerned about things like starvation. But right now I was sure that I was going to have a heart attack. Cinna grabbed my hand and led me over to the tube. The door to the thing was open and I knew that it was almost time. Just as the thought crossed my mind there was a call for the thirty second warning. My shaking was practically knocking me to the ground. My heartbeat sped up and sweat built up by my hairline.

"You can do this, Aspen. Don't be afraid. I've watched you train and I know that you'll be able to get back here. Besides, I have outfits for you to wear. Now fly little bird," Cinna said.

I laughed slightly, but it was quickly turned to a nervous chuckle. At least he was trying. Cinna brought me over to the tube and wrapped me in a hug. "I'll try and make you proud," I said.

"You already have. Now I'm not allowed to bet. But if I could, I'd bet on you," he said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Really."

Cinna held our foreheads together before releasing me. I smiled and thanked him one last time before stepping into the tube. Not even a moment after the tube door closed. I whipped back around to Cinna in a sudden panic. I couldn't hear what he was saying but I could read his lips. Calm down, be brave. He tapped under his chin and I nodded. Head high. I jumped slightly as the platform began to rise. I looked up but the top of the platform was sealed. I gave Cinna a final nod before turning, facing where the Cornucopia would be. Forgive me, Haymitch. The doors above me finally opened and I was raised through them.

Light blinded me for a moment and I shielded my eyes. But the wind hit my face lightly and I opened my eyes. I was no longer shaking. Pull it together, Aspen. Be strong. Head high. I immediately scanned the crowd and looked for Tributes. Peeta was five spots down from me and was closest to a pack on the outer edge of the Cornucopia. He looked like he was planning on heading straight towards it. Thresh was on the right end of the Cornucopia and the boy from District 5 was on the other end. The boy from District 10 with a crippled foot was turned away from the Cornucopia.

Glimmer was two spots down on my left and she was smirking at me. I was in between the District 7 female and the District 6 female. Both looked nervous. Cato was two down on the other side of me but his eyes were firmly locked on the Cornucopia. He was ready. So was I. Rue was six spots down from me on my right and she was turned away from the Cornucopia. Smart girl. Finch was two down from her and she was turned away too. Coral was next to Clove and her eyes were locked on the Cornucopia. So were Clove's.

The further away from the mouth of the Cornucopia we got, the lower in value that the objects were. Only a few steps from my feet laid a three-foot square of plastic. I stared at it for a moment. Certainly it would be of some use in a downpour. But there in the mouth, I could see a tent pack that would protect from almost any sort of weather. If I had the guts to go in and fight for it against the other twenty-three Tributes. Which was exactly what I had been instructed not to do.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hunger Games!" Claudius Templesmith called out. The numbers appeared at the top of the Cornucopia in bright yellow. One minute, we have one minute left.

60...59... 58...

There's a pack right in front of me about fifty feet away. I can get that and go. Cato will head right to the swords. He won't even bother to stop and try to kill me. He doesn't want to risk losing the best sword that's out there. There was a pack of knives too. I could get there first. Clove was on the opposite end of the Cornucopia and I was faster. Those were mine. There was a small sword right next to the knives. That was the perfect size for me and it wasn't too close to the mouth. I could get there and back. There was a bow right at the mouth. If I was fast enough I could get there before Glimmer or Coral could get it.

46... 45... 44...

I could do this. Grab my stuff and get the hell out. I had to do this. The numbers were pounding in my head as the clock counted down. In under an hour, more than likely half of us would be dead. I would not be one. I turned back and looked around the arena. Directly behind me there was a desert. The only place to hide would be behind giant rocks. Not there. I would be easily spotted. There was a lake for water. There was a large wooded area that took up most of the arena. That's where I would go. There was a wheat field and mountain range behind the Cornucopia. It was likely that the surviving Tributes would go to the woods but it didn't matter. I would find the best place to hide and I would stay there.

26... 25... 24...

I got down into a crouching position and ran over my plan. Grab the pack first, try for the bow, sword after that, then knives. Get into the Cornucopia and out as fast as possible. Run to the woods and find a spot to hide in and stay there. Move around every once in a while to hunt. Make sure to get water. Come out of hiding when there's one Tribute left and it's a fight to the death. It will be Cato. I will kill him. I'll stab him in the heart. Only one person's blood would be on my hands. I would go home to Gale, Katniss, Prim, and Ms. Everdeen. I would win this for mom and dad. Do what they never could do. The countdown finally hit ten and the man that was reading out the numbers went silent. There was only a loud drum beat. It was deafening.

9...

Get down as low as you can and tighten your muscles. Spring off the platform as soon as the countdown hits zero. Not a moment later.

8...

Do it for Prim. She would not live out the rest of her life thinking that she was the reason that I died. I would get back and tell her that none of this was her fault.

7...

I had to get back to my best friend, Katniss. She was my rock and she was the reason that I fought to live when I thought that there was nothing worth living for.

6...

I had to get back to Gale. I had to show that everything that he had ever done to teach me how to fight had paid off. I needed to figure out how I really felt about him. I loved him but I needed to know if it was a love that was enough to last a lifetime.

5...

I had to get back to Ms. Everdeen. She had been the one that had taken me in. She was my mother's best friend. I would show her that she had picked a good family to trust. I had to get back for Mr. Everdeen. Even though he wasn't alive any more he had been the one to teach me to throw knives. He had taught me well. I would prove it to him.

4...

I would kill Cato. He was mine to kill.

3...

I would live. This was my turn to show that I was more than the girl who had lost her parents to these Games.

2...

I was ready.

1...

It was time. Before the one had disappeared from above the Cornucopia I launched myself off of the platform and onto the grass. I didn't explode so my timing the jump was exactly right. Without thinking I ran like a bat out of hell towards the Cornucopia. Sorry, Haymitch. I know what I'm doing. I sprinted faster than I ever had in my life as I approached the Cornucopia. Finch was right behind me but the other Tributes trailed in back of us. I grabbed the strap of the pack and slipped slightly as I threw it on. The grass was more slippery than I had expected. Turning to my right, I headed for the bow and arrow set.

Just as I got towards it, Glimmer cut me off and grabbed it. I wanted to scream but I knew that I couldn't. I wanted to keep as much attention off of me as I could. Stopping dead in my tracks I turned back and ran off before she could get an arrow aimed at me. I could get the sword and knives still if I was fast. As I ran back I realized that I had spent too much time here already. People were running left and right around me and I heard the grunts of fighting Tributes. The Bloodbath had started. I dashed around Marvel as he stabbed a boy lying on the ground. He got up and glanced at me.

Barely missing the tip of his sword, I spun out of the way and dashed off. He chose not to take chase of me and rather picked up a spear, throwing it into the heart of the District 10 male. The boy with the crippled foot. I wanted to stop and stare but I couldn't. I ignored the screams of agony coming from the boy and ran to the sword. Marvel would finish him off and then come back for me. I had to be gone. I grabbed the sword in my hands and strapped it to myself as I ran.

Grabbing the handle of the sword as I ran to the knives I unsheathed it and held on tightly. Just as I approached the knives I was knocked off balance. I thought that I had been caught up by a root. I hit the ground roughly and the sword went flying from my hands. You've got to be kidding me. Now was the time that I was going to show my clumsy side? Although as I was reprimanding myself for falling, an arm grabbed my shoulder and flipped me over. I quickly realized that I hadn't tripped. Another Tribute had knocked me over. This was exactly what Haymitch had warned me about.

I looked into the face of the Tribute who was now sitting on me. He smiled at me and threw a hard hit at my face. I dodged the hit, but just barely. He growled at the fact that he's missed and threw another hit at me. This one hit me full on in the mouth. I groaned at the pain and felt blood fill my mouth. I spit it out on the boy who angrily stepped on my knee. I screamed in pain and bucked my hips. He jerked wildly but managed to stay on. Glancing up at his face I realized that it was the boy from District 6. The one who Cato had blamed for taking his knife.

I managed to shove my palm upwards into his nose. Blood started pouring out of his nostrils but he managed to stay seated on top of me. He reached around and slammed a knife that I hadn't seen before at my head. I ducked out of the way and he only managed to scrape my cheek. I bucked hard again and he lost the grip that he had on the knife, sending it flying. He was now unarmed but he was strong. Without thinking about the consequences, I sat up quickly and smashed my head into his. The boy howled in pain and hit me with all of his strength on my temple.

It was harder than I'd been expecting. I groaned again at the two hard head injuries and tried to focus but it was impossible. He wrapped his hands around my neck and I started to cough. I was trying to get air into my lungs but it was no use. His grip was too tight. I reached up and did the one thing I hated to do. I dug my nails straight into his eye socket. He screamed but didn't let up. His eyes were being crushed by my nails and I cried out in disgust. But if he was going to kill me, I was going to blind him.

I'm sorry Katniss. I'm sorry Gale. I'm sorry Haymitch. I'm sorry Finnick. I thought that I would be able to get in and out but I had overestimated my abilities. Please don't let Prim be watching right now. My vision began to spot and I tried to fight him off but I wasn't strong enough. Just as I began to slip into unconsciousness, my hands releasing him, I felt a warm liquid run down my arm and a heavy weight fell on me. I coughed and my vision cleared. I realized that the boy from 6 had fallen on my chest, dead. And now I was soaked in his blood. It wasn't from me. I hadn't killed him. I panicked as I threw him off of me.

He had a huge gap in his neck where a sword had pierced him. His eyes were pushed back into his head and I very nearly threw up my breakfast. Blood trails were running down. Shouts were echoing around me and so were the clangs of weapons. I could see blood splattering all around me. In a sudden shock, I looked up, worried for who it was that was now standing above me.

"I told you that you'd be first," Cato spat at the boy.

Cato... Cato had saved my life. He rolled his bloodied sword in his hand. There were screams coming from all around me but the only thing that I could focus on was Cato. No one would be stupid enough to try and engage him in a fight. That meant that I was safe for the time being. He was bloody so I figured that he had already been in a fight. I waited for his blow that would kill me but it never came. Instead he laughed and gave me a hand. Reluctantly I grabbed his hand and let him help me up. He brushed blood off of my forehead and smirked at me.

"Jugular. Not the eyes. Jugular will cut off the oxygen supply. Eyes just hurt. Got it?" he asked.

"Yeah," I whispered, my voice cracking.

"Good try, though. What did I say? I told you that I'd see you in the Death Match, Twelve! Stay alive and be careful. You're mine."

Gulping at him I nodded stupidly and went to run off. But right before I made my leave of him I saw the District 3 female sneaking up behind him. She was holding a knife in the throwing position. She would kill him. Without thinking I pulled Cato to the side. He ripped himself away from me. The knife went sailing by his head and he looked at me in shock as I shook my head. He turned back and caught the eyes of the girl who looked like she was about to drop dead, which she most likely was. Without another word Cato ran off after the girl, who sprinted towards the woods.

Standing shakily, I looked to my left to check for the knives but all I saw was Coral skewer the District 10 female. I gulped and turned to run, sprinting past Clove who threw a knife at the District 4 male. He dropped dead with the knife in the middle of his back. She turned to me and raised a knife but another Tribute ran between us and she decided to chase them down instead. I sighed deeply and ran back past my pedestal to grab the small sword that I had lost in my fight with the District 6 male. I grabbed the sword and quickly sheathed it, sprinting off towards the woods.

I smiled as I approached them. I was going to make it. I might actually manage to make it past the first day. Just before I hit the front of the woods I was tackled yet again. What the hell? I had thought that I was far enough away from the fighting but clearly I wasn't. I must not have even heard them following me. So I turned over and saw that it was the District 9 female. She was about my size, maybe a little bigger, but I knew that we were evenly matched in this fight. I glanced onto her hip and saw that she had a pack of throwing knives. I needed those. They were going to be my best defense.

Don't think. Just kill. I jumped onto the girl and drove my knee into her stomach with all of my weight. She coughed but managed to slash a knife out at me. I jumped back and just missed the edge of the sharp blade. She growled at me and I threw a punch. It connected with her jaw as I felt it crack loudly. Her head whipped back as I grabbed her by the jacket. Using the excess material, I twisted her arm behind her and grimaced at her scream of pain.

She threw the knife out again but this time I was ready. I grabbed her wrist and, using my knee to keep her down, I grabbed the knife from her. She tried to jump back up but I was faster. Blindly holding the knife out in front of me I saw the panic in her eyes before she drove herself right into the blade. She screamed as the tip lightly pierced her neck. For a moment I wanted to pull the blade away from her and leave her be, but she would only be one more Tribute for me to deal with later. Taking a deep breath, I jammed the blade the rest of the way into her throat.

I gagged as her warm blood began to run over my hand and she fell back from me, the light leaving her eyes. I had done it. I was a killer. I had murdered a girl that was only trying to do the same thing as I was. She was just trying to survive and I had brutally murdered her. I couldn't linger here. I was too close to the Cornucopia. I mentally apologized to her and grabbed the knife pack that she had strapped to her body. Her corpse. I gripped a knife tightly in my hand and ran off. Despite how hot it was in the arena, right now there were goosebumps all over my skin from the encounter.

The arena suddenly darkened as I ran into the woods and I sighed. This was my game. This was where I would thrive. I just needed to get to a safe place and calm down. All I had to do was run. I wanted to get as far away from the Cornucopia and as far away from the carnage as I could. Just as I thought I was in the clear I heard panting behind me. I turned back and saw that it was the District 7 male. He was right on my tail and gaining. But I was faster. All I had to do was outrun him. I didn't have to cause another death.

For ten minutes the two of us wound in and out of trees and bushes. I jumped over and under logs and made the sharpest turns that I could but nothing deterred him. He was faster than I'd been expecting him to be. He kept on my tail but he had fallen behind slightly. There was no way that I would be able to keep this up forever. Eventually I would get tired and have to stop and have to fight. But I would lose that fight. I knew that. I'd seen him in training. He was strong.

As I debated whether or not to throw a knife at him a sharp blade nicked my ear and I hissed in pain. Glancing over I saw that there was an axe laying in the ground. District 7. Lumber. Of course. I knew that he was good with an axe, and so was his partner, but I didn't expect him to have one. I had to make a move fast. If he had another one he would throw it soon and this time I was sure that he wouldn't miss. I jumped behind a tree and listened to his footsteps. He was getting close to me.

I'd never had to do this before but I knew exactly what to do. I was good at anticipating shots. I grabbed my knife tightly and prepared to throw it. He sounded about ten feet away from me before I jumped out from behind the tree and threw. The knife lodged in the boy's eye and I had to cover my mouth to prevent myself from screaming. He fell to the ground and screamed loudly. Panicking I darted away from the boy, forgetting about the knife that I had lost.

For miles and for hours I ran. Straight for a while, then I would turn and run diagonally and run straight again. I went back and forth from a sprint, to a jog, to a walk, always moving. It felt like about three hours had passed before I began to slow dramatically. I had heard that adrenaline did odd things to your body but I had never heard of it letting you run for three hours. It was probably about one now. I still wasn't ready to slow down. I jogged for about another hour before I finally fell to the ground, exhausted. I slid myself under a fallen tree and laid there.

Breathing heavily with sweat and blood dripping off of me, I laid back and gathered myself. Finally I realized that the trees were thinning out in the valley. So I stood and forced myself to keep going. I needed to get somewhere with a little more coverage. The ground sloped downwards. I didn't particularly like that. Valleys always made me feel trapped. I wanted to be high, like in the hills around District 12, where I could see my enemies approaching. I heard Katniss's voice. Keep moving. You'll be too out in the open if you stay. So I have no choice but to keep going.

My feet were carrying my in their own direction. I couldn't really focus on the layout of the arena and where I was. That would come later. The woods eventually began to evolve, and the pines were intermixed with a variety of trees, some I recognized, and some were completely foreign to me. At one point, I heard a noise and quickly pulled my knife, thinking that I would have to defend myself again, but I'd only startled a rabbit. I smiled at the animal and walked past. I'd had enough killing for now. If there was one rabbit, there would be hundreds just waiting to be snared.

Funny enough I didn't feel too bad. The days of gorging myself had paid off. I'd gotten staying power even though I was short on sleep. Being in the woods was rejuvenating. I was glad for the solitude, even though it was an illusion, because I was probably on-screen right now. Not consistently but off and on. There were so many deaths to show the first day that a Tribute trekking through the woods wasn't much to look at. They would show me enough to let people know that I was alive, uninjured and on the move.

Once everything calmed down I was sure that they would start replaying the moment that Cato saved me and I returned the favor. It was destined to be one of the most popular moments of the day. My kills weren't extraordinarily impressive and I'd made myself look a little scared, but at least I'd proven that I was a survivor. One of the heaviest days of betting was the opening, when the initial casualties came in. But that wouldn't compare to what happened as the field shrank to a handful of players.

My feet were slowly walking me towards what was likely the force field on the edge of the arena. I wanted to get as close to it as I could. My walking was extraordinarily slow as I continued on. I didn't want to make too much noise. I knew that my breathing was loud enough. I must have been walking for damn near two hours before a loud bang startled me. I nearly screamed but I managed to stay silent. I didn't know if any Tributes were close to me so I had to be silent. The woods had been so quiet that I had forgotten where I was. I wasn't in District 12. I was in the Hunger Games.

It was the cannons. The cannons that told us when a Tribute died. On the first day the Gamemakers waited until the end of the Bloodbath before they set off the cannons so people could get settled before they found out how many had died. They wouldn't take the bodies until the killers dispersed and the fighting stopped. It was too hard to keep track. We wouldn't find out who had died until tonight though. I counted the cannons as they sounded. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. I waited for a minute to see if another cannon would go off but that was it. Eight people had died today. I had almost been nine.

That was less people than normally died. It wasn't uncommon for over half of the Tributes to die on the first day. The Gamemakers wouldn't be happy that they had a low death rate. The only thing that might placate them was if the deaths were extremely bloody. But more would have to die soon or else they would start releasing mutts and creating natural disasters. Hopefully the carnage from today would keep them happy for a few days.

I thought about who I knew was dead. I knew that Coral's partner, the District 4 male, was killed by Clove. I had seen Cato kill the District 6 male at the beginning, the guy that had almost killed me. Coral had killed the District 10 female and Marvel had killed their partner. That was four of the deaths. I couldn't tell who the other one was that he had killed. Or had he only injured them? I wasn't sure. I had killed the District 9 female and I was pretty sure that the District 7 male had died too. That was six of the eight people that were dead. I had killed a fourth of the dead Tributes today.

But who were the other two that had died today? I was sure that Cato, Clove, Marvel, Thresh, and Coral had made it. I hadn't seen Peeta at all during the Bloodbath. Had he made it through or was one of the cannons for him? What about Rue? She had run straight for the woods but had someone followed her? Was it maybe for Finch? She was fast but she didn't seem to be one for fighting. I hadn't seen any of them during the Bloodbath. One of the other two cannons was probably for the District 3 female that Cato had been chasing the last time that I had seen him. Who was the other one for?

I shook my head. There was nothing that I could do to find out. I would just have to wait until tonight to find out. It was probably about three now so I had about another three hours before the sun would set. Before the Gamemakers would set the artificial sun. We were really inside a giant dome that was out in the middle of nowhere. The sky, the grass, the trees, and the sun were all fake. That was why the Gamemakers could start rain, earthquakes, and fires on command. The edges of the arena were normally wrapped in a force field which would apparently either electrocute you or just hurt like hell.

Deciding that it was probably for the best that I checked my supplies before the sun set I slid my pack off of my shoulders and opened it. I walked over towards one of the trees and hid towards the trunk. My legs were shaking as I stopped. It was the first time that I wasn't moving in a number of hours. I took the knife belt off of me too and started taking my supplies out. There were two water canteens - both empty, of course. Couldn't make this too easy, could they? I immediately made that my main mission for tomorrow. Find water above anything else.

There was also a small vial of iodine too and I nodded. A drop of it in the water and I would be able to purify it. Perfect. I didn't want to die from something stupid like drinking water with some type of poison in it. That had happened a few years ago to one younger boy. That meant that I could grab water from any larger water source too. I just had to find where it was. The lake was too centered. It would be far too dangerous. Maybe a Tribute would walk by and talk about it with their partner. That was a fat chance.

Luckily there was some food in the bag. I would have screamed if I had nearly died three times just for two empty water canteens. There were pieces of dried meat. I immediately allowed myself one for every day. It wasn't much but if I was starving here it would at least give me six days to figure something out. There was dried fruit in the pack too and I set it aside. There was a lot of sugar in dried fruit so I would save it for when I was feeling weak. Since both food items were dried they wouldn't go bad. The Gamemakers had done something nice for us. There was a long bundle or rope and I smiled at it.

Gale's voice rang through my head. Glad that I taught you how to trap animals rather than always rely on shooting them, right? Yes, Gale, you're right. The rope would be great for traps. Hopefully there was something to trap around here. The rabbits were one thing but they were fast and tended to be pretty smart. With my luck the Gamemakers would probably clear them from the area. That was what I deserved for my individual training routine. Dipping my hand into the bag again I felt something sharp and I pulled it out. Tied together with twine were two cutting knives.

Those would be great for cutting wood if I needed a fire to cook or prepare meat. There was a small whet stone inside the pack too that I would probably use later to sharpen the throwing knives. A dull knife wouldn't puncture animal hide. Or human flesh... There was a thin blanket that was lining the pack too and I smiled. I started to stuff everything back into the bag. Despite a few near misses I had come away with some good supplies. Everything that was in my pack plus the six throwing knives. But my smile faded quickly when I remembered how I had gotten away with these.

Today had not been a good day for me. I had accidentally caused the death of the District 6 male and I had directly killed the District 7 male and District 9 female. Three people who had people that they wanted to get back too. Just like me. Thinking back to their families as I packed my stuff up again I remembered the interviews from the District 9 female's family. She had been fifteen. They had owned a wheat farm, exactly what District 9 was used for. She had a mother and a father who loved her and were afraid that she wouldn't return to them. She had a younger sister that was just like Prim.

There was even a guy that loved her back in her home. He wanted to marry her and he would never get the chance. I had stolen that from him. I had killed the girl that they all loved in the most brutal way possible. I wanted to cry for her but I knew that I couldn't. I didn't know about the boy who Cato had killed but I knew about the boy I had killed. He had a mother and father back in his home. His family had loved him and were shocked that he had to go into the Games. He was only sixteen. He had two older brothers, a twin sister, and a younger sister. I had stolen that girl's twin. I hoped she hadn't seen it.

As I refilled my pack I had another awful thought. The lake. The one I saw while I was waiting for the gong to sound. What if that was the only water source in the arena? That way they would guarantee drawing us in to fight. The lake was a full day's journey from where I was sitting now, which would be a much harder journey with nothing to drink. And then, even if I reached it, it was sure to be heavily guarded by some of the Career Tributes. Cato wouldn't keep saving me. I was about to panic when I remembered the rabbit I startled earlier today. It had to drink, too. I just had to find out where.

With the thought of water I started to become aware of the dryness in my throat and mouth and the cracks in my lips. I had been moving all day long. It had been hot and I'd sweat a lot. I did all of this back at home, but there were always streams to drink from, or snow to melt if it should come to it. All I could hear was Haymitch telling me that I was a moron. At least I wasn't a dead moron. His advice was what would drive me tomorrow. Water. I needed water.

Sighing I tucked my pack under a fallen tree and grabbed the rope. I started to set up traps for smaller animals all around my camp. I thought back to District 12 for a moment and hoped that Gale would be proud of me. He was always the one of us that would set up traps and I hoped that I had done it right. I remembered my training and I was almost positive that it was right. There was nothing that I could do for now. I just had to leave and hope that something was there in the morning.

I made my way back over to my pack and tucked the rest of my rope away. There was still a lot left. I walked around the small area and found a tree that had a low branch that I could use to climb up. If I could find a branch large enough it would be perfect to sleep in. I knew that I would have to make my way up the bottom half of the tree quickly. The branches didn't look like they could take that much weight. At least I was good at this. I shouldered my pack and grabbed the first branch, pulling myself up to a small hole where I placed my foot. The branch creaked and I sucked in a breath, shimmying up the tree quickly.

Gale used to tell Katniss and me that we looked like squirrels because we could get up the branches so fast. It seemed that I was still good with it. I was at the top of the tree in no time. Although I did make the mistake of looking down. I took a sharp breath of air in. I was so high up. A fall from up here wouldn't kill me but it would damn well hurt. I climbed about another twenty feet before I found a branch that was perfectly cut out and shaped for someone no bigger than me. For a moment I couldn't help but wonder if Seneca had set the tree up this way, but I was sure that he wouldn't risk something like that.

He could die for making the arena easier for a Tribute. I settled into the branch and grabbed my pack, pulling out the blanket. I threw it over me and tucked the corners in, making sure that no part of the blanket was hanging over the edge of the branch. I didn't want someone to pass by and realize that there was a Tribute up here. I grabbed my rope and laid it on my side. During the night I would tie myself into the tree in case I moved around. It might save me from a fall that could paralyze me.

My head fell back on the branch as I thought about everything that had happened today. Within the first half an hour of the Games I had already taken two lives. Two lives of two good kids. I didn't blame any of them for chasing or trying to kill me. They were trying to live just like I was. I only wished that they could have gotten to live out the rest of their lives. It was obvious that even if I survived these Games I would regret what I had done today, and in the rest of the Games, for the rest of my life. This day, and their faces, would haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life.

My roiling stomach told me that I had to think about something else. I wondered if Katniss and Gale had been watching. Or if Prim had watched. Had Katniss let her? She'd been watching since she was eight but Katniss and I always made her close her eyes in the most brutal parts. But this time was different. Now she knew someone that was fighting for their life. I hoped that Katniss had kept her promise to me and had made sure that she didn't watch the Bloodbath. I could only imagine Katniss sitting pressed right up against the screen screaming at me to do something when the District 6 male had nearly killed me.

She had probably been shoving Prim away from the screen, in fear that I was going to die. That wasn't something that she would want her to watch. I had told her not to let Prim watch if she thought that I was in trouble. I didn't want her to remember my death, particularly if it was brutal. I wanted her to remember my life. Gale had probably been brooding in the back of the room and had secretly been elated when I had lived. That was if he was watching at all. If he didn't think that I had turned my back on him because of Cato.

Cato. Idiot. I was such a damned idiot. Gale used to tell me that I thought with my heart and not my head. He was right. He was probably thinking that exact thing right now. Why hadn't I let the District 3 female kill him? She would have killed him. The knife was going right for his head. It would have eliminated a big threat early on in the Games. I was a fool for letting him live. Maybe my actions would earn me brownie points later at least. I should have let him get hit. That would have saved me from having to kill me later.

Had I saved him just been because he had saved me right before? Had I done it because it was right? Or had I done it because I couldn't bear to see him die? Was I thinking about the conversation that we'd had the night before? Was I thinking about the boy who had spared the rabbit? I wanted to think that it was the former but I knew that it was the latter. I still had to kill him. I had time. Just like he had claimed me as his kill, he was my kill. Glimmer too, maybe. Or maybe not. I hated the girl but maybe I didn't want her dead. I just wanted to be far away from her.

In another hour, it was clear that most other Tributes would have to start finding places to camp. Night creatures were coming out. I could hear the occasional hoot or howl. It was my first clue that I would be competing with natural predators for the rabbits. All I could hope is that if rabbits were around there wouldn't be too many mutts. Maybe they would rely on us to kill each other. As to whether or not I would be viewed as a source of food... that was too soon to tell. There could have been any number of animals stalking me at that moment.

But right now I decided to make my fellow Tributes a priority. They would be until we lost a few more or a few days passed. I was smart enough to know that many would continue hunting through the night. Tributes... not animals. Those who were brave enough to fight it out at the Cornucopia would by now have food, an abundance of water from the lake, torches or flashlights, and weapons that they were itching to use. Cato and the other Careers most likely. I could only hope that I'd traveled far and fast enough to be out of range.

The more I looked around the more uneasy I felt. The trees were too thin to offer much concealment. The layer of pine needles that had muffled my footsteps earlier would also make tracking animals harder when I needed their trails to find water. That was the one thing that I hadn't thought of. Everything that would have a benefit in the arena would also have a drawback. The damn valley that I was still in seemed endless. Even past me it was still sloping downwards. I had to be getting close to the edge of the arena. Or maybe not.

Unfortunately I was hungry, too, but I didn't dare break into my precious store of beef and fruit yet. For a moment I wished that I would have eaten more at breakfast. But I couldn't choke it down. Instead I took my knife and started to cut away the outer bark of the tree that I was in. I scraped off a large handful of the softer inner bark. I slowly chewed the stuff as I pulled my knees up to my chest. After a week of the finest food in the world, it was a little hard to choke down. But I had eaten plenty of pine in my life. I would adjust quickly. I could hear Katniss telling me to get over it.

The arena began to darken and I watched as the artificial sun set and the artificial stars filled the sky. It was so gorgeous that I thought I was back home in District 12 for a moment. But I was far from home. About another half an hour went by and I realized that the temperature had dropped drastically from earlier. I had been sweating earlier and now I was freezing. Every time that I breathed out heavily I could see my breath. But it wasn't cold enough to die. It was just enough to entice Tributes to make a fire. But that was a death sentence right now.

The Careers wouldn't be happy with that few kills so they would be hunting for Tributes tonight. A fire was a direct signal to them that someone was out there and that they were weak. I was pretty sure that no one would be foolish enough to do that. I certainly wouldn't. Silence took over the arena for a while. I strained my ears to try and hear if any Tributes or animals were in the area. I would need to know if this place was safe. Finally Panem's anthem played along with the symbol of the Capitol being shot onto the corner of the arena's dome. I sat forward and waited for them to play the faces of the deceased.

The screen jumped straight to District 3 as it showed the face of the girl who had tried to kill Cato. He had gotten to her. That death was probably my fault too. It meant that Glimmer, Marvel, Clove, and Cato were still alive. Why did it make me feel so much better that I knew for a fact that Cato was alive? The District 4 male was next. Clove had killed him. The District 6 female was after and then the male that Cato had killed. No Tributes for District 6 anymore. The District 7 male popped up next and I had to force myself to watch his picture. That was the boy that I had killed. He looked so calm in that picture.

The cameras would likely zoom in on the faces of the killers to see how they would react. I had to pretend that I was fine with it. If the Sponsors sensed any hint of weakness or regret they would find someone else to Sponsor. The District 9 female was next and I gulped deeply, remembering her blood running down over my hands. I still managed to steel my nerves. The District 10 female that Coral had killed and her partner that Marvel had killed were after that and then the Capitol symbol popped up again.

I sighed deeply, knowing that Thresh, Rue, and Peeta were all safe tonight. Finch had made it too. I was glad that they had made it but it hurt too. It just made it more likely that I would have to face them at some time. Could I take their lives? Probably not. But it hadn't been too hard for me to kill the two Tributes today. I also had no connection to them. Sighing I slipped further into the tree and leaned back. All I wanted to do was go home. But I was still a while away from that. Today had been a long day. There were eight dead and sixteen left. Fifteen more people had to die before they got their winner.

For hours I lay in the tree after tying myself down and pushing my bag behind me as a pillow. I was safe for tonight but it didn't make me feel any better. I had killed two innocent people and I was responsible for the deaths of two other's. I felt drained from the competition already and we weren't even a full day into it. I forcibly closed my eyes. The only thing that I saw were flashes of blood and screams of mercy. Shouts were off in the distance. From the high-pitched laugh of Glimmer, I knew that it was the Careers.

Typical. They thought that they were invincible and no one would dare challenge them so they were as loud as they felt like. I couldn't have been surprised. I knew that they would be hunting for more Tributes. They wanted to have fun in the arena and they would spend the first few days getting used to really being here and really being able to kill the other Tributes. I was a little nervous that they were close but I knew that their voices were carrying. They were probably at least a mile away.

So I slipped my eyes back closed. After a few more horrid dreams I finally slipped into a fitful sleep. But all night my dreams were filled of memories of the life draining from the eyes of the kids that I had killed. Their blood that was on my hands. Their horribly real cries of pain. Their lifeless bodies lying before me. The thoughts of their families mourning tonight while they were hating the girl that had killed their family member. If this was how I reacted to only the first twelve hours of the Games, how would I ever make it through the rest?


	10. Chapter Ten

The scent of smoke filled my lungs and my eyes shot open. No, no, no. Had the Gamemakers really been so upset with the turnout of the Bloodbath that they were already making a disaster? A fire, no less? I was too high up to make a jump and I was belted in. I would be cooked before I would even get the chance to run. Maybe it was still far enough away. I glanced around me to see which way was smarter to run but I quickly realized that a wildfire wasn't the problem. None of the trees were on fire and it was still cold outside.

It might have been even worse than a wildfire. I looked down and realized that there was a small glow coming from the base of my tree. I shifted my weight and looked over the edge. Sitting around a pile of wood and rocks was a Tribute huddled around a fire. I had to bite my lip not to scream every foul name I knew at the fire starter. Instead I settled on rolling my eyes at her. What the hell was she thinking? It was cold out here but it wasn't worth losing your life over. Suck it up! A fire like that would bring a bloodthirsty Tribute right to them. And if one came to her, they would unknowingly be drawn to me.

Instead of the trees being on fire it felt like I was. I was stewing in my own anger at my positioning. I thought that I was too far back in the arena for anyone to come out here tonight. I thought that it would take them at least another day, at which point I had intended to be long gone. But, no. I was a stone's throw from the biggest idiot in the Games. Strapped into a tree. Not daring to flee since my general location had just been broadcast to any killer who cared. It was like welcoming Cato to me. Sighing at my luck I slipped into my tree as much as I could. A small crack made me stop.

Someone had found her. I laid back in the tree and glanced over the edge. What the hell was that? Probably a Tribute attempting to sneak up on the girl. I rolled my head to the other side of the tree and watched as the girl sat straight up. The noise had startled her but foolishly she had chosen not to run. Should I say something to her? Probably not. It really wouldn't make any sense for me to warn her. She would just be one more dead Tribute. But I didn't know if I could watch another Tribute fight today. I prepared to warn the girl, but just as I opened my mouth, Clove stepped out of the bushes.

The girl from District 8 screamed and tried to run. As she dashed over her fire Marvel caught her and shoved her backwards. This wasn't a fight that she could win. She was outnumbered and outgunned. She didn't even have a weapon and I assumed she had no valuable skills that she could bargain with. Not survival skills if she'd been stupid enough to light a fire. I remembered Haymitch's warning back on the train. Now that's a good way to get killed. Yes, it is.

Coral and Glimmer stepped out at her side moments later; the former eerily staring at the girl and the latter laughing loudly. The girl was already crying. The biggest threat hadn't even stepped out yet. Clove shoved the girl back and she stumbled, falling over the rocks to her fire. Part of me wanted to scream for her, but I remained silent. The girl fell back onto the fire and rolled off immediately. Despite how fast she had gotten off I could still see the charred wound on her shoulders and the tears that were streaming down her face. The Careers all laughed as the girl backed away and tried to make a run for the woods.

She would never make it. The Careers were actually some of the slower Tributes this year but they were fast enough. Clove was likely the fastest of them. She would mow the girl down with a knife in a heartbeat. But obviously this wasn't her kill. Just as the girl from District 8 got herself up and on the move she ran right into the worst Tribute that any one of us could run into. I'd seen him just hours ago but he had seemed like a completely different person. He'd saved my life but he was about to end hers.

Cato towered over the girl and I watched his every move. This was why I couldn't fall for him. Despite his charm and good looks he was a brutal, savage, killing machine. He grabbed her by the shoulder and forced his other hand onto the burn on her back. Her scream was enough to shatter my ear drums. I wanted to close my eyes but I forced myself to watch. If nothing else, to prove to the Capitol audience that I was tough. As much as the cameras were on the scene below, they were also likely on me, gauging my reactions to seeing him in his element.

Cato smirked at the girl as she screamed, crying and begging for him to stop. But he never did. He threw her to the ground with a laugh and pulled a monstrous sword from a scabbard that hung around his waist. It was likely the best one in the arena this year. It was different from the one that he had been carrying when he'd saved me. She begged for him to let her go again, telling him that she would do anything that he wanted, but he ignored her. He dragged the tip of the sword down her face, leaving a long cut.

"Please! I'll help you hunt down... What's her name? Aspen!" My jaw clenched. "Please, I'll help you kill her. I can pretend to be her ally! Please!"

The cameras were certainly on me now. My jaw set and I forced myself to remain still. Just to annoy them. I wouldn't give them the justification of knowing that I was horrified, sitting up here and listening to the girl plead. With my life, too. I couldn't help but to glared at the girl. I knew she was only trying to save her life. I couldn't blame her for that. But still... Why put me up on the plate? What the hell had I done? I could just see Cato's eyes darken as he pulled his sword back. For a moment I thought that he was going to accept her offer, but he did nothing of the sorts.

Instead he grabbed her hair and held onto her head as he shoved the sword through her stomach. I slapped my hand over my mouth, trying not to scream. I quickly recovered, knowing that the cameras would briefly flash to me. She didn't scream either. No one did. Glimmer looked at Cato with fear in her eyes as did Marvel and Clove. Coral watched as Cato twisted the handle of the sword and brought her face to his. The girl struggled to get away from him but it didn't matter. She wasn't strong enough and I was sure that he had pierced something vital, making movement much harder. I was shocked she wasn't dead yet.

"Let's get one thing straight. No one here, not even any of them," Cato growled, motioning to the rest of the Careers. "No one will lay a hand on her. When her time comes, and it will, I will kill her. And I don't need offers from pathetic little things like you to help me. Her time is coming. Just not as soon as yours."

Even though the Capitol was likely hundreds of miles away I could see what was happening. The people were leaning over their televisions, fascinated by the death. Not overly bloody, but very emotional. They also were likely curious about my reaction. We might have been the Star-Crossed Lovers, but we were still saying that we'd kill each other. I steeled my face, refusing to give my thoughts away. Cato ripped the sword out of her stomach a second later. She gasped and fell into the grass. I waited for Cato to finish her off but he didn't. He only watched her struggle for breath.

"Let's go. There's a stream over in the desert area of the arena. We'll head there to get water. See if we can find any other Tributes on the way," Cato told his pack.

The camera definitely caught my smirk. Thanks for telling me another water source, lover. "Nine down and fourteen to go," Marvel said happily.

Biting my tongue was the only way to keep me from shouting my excitement that I now knew another source of water outside of the big lake by the Cornucopia that was likely theirs to control. I wasn't sure how they knew about the other one but I wasn't going to ask. Likely Brutus, Enobaria, Gloss, or Cashmere sent them a note with a vague indication. We weren't technically allowed help from the outside world when it came to locations about Tributes or food and water sources, but there were always ways around it. Particularly for the Career Tributes.

Now they had just unknowingly helped me. I would be sure to make it the first place that I would go tomorrow. It was likely that the Careers would be long gone from it by the time that I managed to get there tomorrow. I wouldn't have to worry about dehydration, something that was already taking its toll. Cato began to walk away from the dying girl before realizing that the rest of his members weren't following him. I'd barely noticed in my excitement for the water tip.

Cato turned back and gave them all a deep glare. Clove moved towards him, kicking the girl from District 8 on her way. The girl cried out and Clove's face brightened. Marvel was the next to join Cato, dragging the tip of his spear over her body. She shivered and coughed as he walked by, Marvel smirking at her the whole time. It made me a little sick to see. They couldn't just do it, they had to enjoy it. Coral joined the group next, doing nothing as she passed the girl. I wondered if she ever actually showed any emotion. Cato waited for Glimmer to walk over but she stood by the dying girl with hands on her hips.

Slinking down in the tree as Cato passed under again, I switched to the other side of the branch and hung my head over. "Having a problem?" Cato sneered at Glimmer.

He was standing over her. Glimmer was tall but she still was dwarfed in comparison to Cato. I saw her shrink back slightly but she was determined to look tough. She stretched her back out, trying to match Cato for size. It would never work. He was far too tall. Although she was definitely taller than me. While she stood at his chin I only barely topped off at his chest.

"What the hell is this about, Cato?" she asked, pointing out to the District 8 girl, who was looking on in fear.

She was dying but it was going to be a slow and painful death for her. "She's dying," Cato commented.

"Why can't we just finish her off? Make sure that no Sponsors try to help her out! This is stupid," Glimmer said, trying to stare him down.

Just in the way that only Cato could, he leaned over her with a dark glare. "You think that a miserable little thing like that has Sponsors?" Cato asked.

"She might -"

"We have the Sponsors. Not her. They don't give a damn what happens to someone like her."

"He's right -" Marvel started.

"I know I'm right! We're going to move on. You can stay here if you like, but if you do, you'll regret it. Because then you'll be the one that I'm coming after. And you won't like what happens when I catch you," he growled at her.

Glimmer nodded at him and gulped deeply. Even from all the way up here I could hear it. "Let's go then," she muttered.

"Good," he growled, turning away from her. "Any other objections?" The rest of the Careers remained deathly silent. "Let's go then. Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking. Lover Boy, hurry up!"

My stomach turned when Cato mentioned the stinking body but his last comment kicked the thought clear out of my head. I raised my eyebrows and turned back against the tree. All of the Careers were accounted for. Who was Cato talking to? All of the Careers were already around him, as the boy from District 4 was dead, so who else had the Careers picked up? Who was foolish enough to follow them? The Careers were universally hated by everyone but from their own Districts.

There was a crack of the branch and I turned back to where the Careers were waiting with devious smiles. A boy with blonde hair stepped out of the dark and I had to cover my mouth to keep from audibly gasping. The cameras were definitely on me now. That thought made me drop my hand. It was Peeta. He was carrying a small sword and walked up to where Cato was standing. What the hell was Peeta thinking? Why was he with them? What had gone through his mind that he had thought that joining the Careers would be a good thing? Had he turned against me and joined up with them to try and kill me?

No matter what explanation I came up with, it made no sense. I couldn't think of any reason why he would have joined them. He wanted to impress Katniss. What did he think she would think of him after he joined up with the people who wanted to kill her best friend? Everyone in District 12 likely hated him by now. The Careers were particularly hated back home. Peeta walked over to them and Cato turned, leading the Careers out of the opening. They started talking as they walked off. They let him walk off first before following. The Careers were silent until he got out of ear shot, then used hushed voices.

"Why don't we just kill him now and get it over with?" Glimmer asked.

Her voice was low and careful to not annoy Cato. "Let him tag along. What's the harm? And he's handy with that knife," Cato said.

Is he? That's news. I didn't know that Peeta was good with a knife. I knew that he was good with hand-to-hand and I'd seen that he was getting relatively handy with a sword. I'd also known that he was pretty good with a number of survival skills, mostly camouflage. But knives... That one I hadn't known. What a lot of interesting things I was learning about my friend Peeta today.

"Besides, he's our best chance of finding her," Clove said.

She gave Cato a long look. The further out that they got the harder that I got for me to hear them. Plus the whimpers and cries from the girl from District 8 were making it harder to hear them. They fell silent for a few seconds and I titled my head to the side. I didn't understand what they meant. And then it hit me. It had taken me that pathetic few seconds to register that the 'her' they're referring to was me. I gauged Cato's face for a reaction but he didn't give much of one. The Capitol people must have been dying to know how he felt. If only they'd heard our conversation last night.

"Why? You think she bought into that sappy romance stuff? Think she actually trusts him?" Marvel asked.

Was it stupid that I really had believed him? Probably. "She might have. They're close enough. Seemed to be friends. Seemed pretty simpleminded to me. Every time I think about her spinning around in that dress, I want to puke," Glimmer said.

My jaw set tightly. I didn't want to see every inch of you either, but you don't see me complaining. The Capitol people were likely laughing at my glare. "Wish we knew how she got that twelve," Clove said irritably.

The fact that the Careers scored lower than me was bothering them. I knew it. "Bet you Lover Boy knows," Glimmer said grumpily.

It seemed like the only one that didn't really mind was Cato, which was very surprising. "Do you know?" Clove asked Cato.

He looked a little surprised. "How would I know?" he asked her.

"Aren't you two the Star Crossed Lovers?" she asked.

"Keep walking," Cato demanded.

There was something hesitant in his voice. It sounded like Cato said something back to her, or maybe he was speaking to someone else, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. No matter how hard I tried. And I really did want to know. At least the Capitol people would get to know. I tried to lean forward a little more to hear what they were talking about. They were already too far away. I couldn't hear them anymore. I had been so distracted watching Peeta and the others leave the area that I had forgotten to stay hidden. The girl was looking up at me with pleading eyes and I swallowed heavily.

She was going to die down there. My stomach was turning in knots. I'd even thought about killing her. She was stupid and being stupid made someone dangerous. The arena was probably better off without her. But she was suffering. She wouldn't actually die for likely what was to be another day or so. Bleeding out was probably what would kill her. It left me at an impasse. What should I do? I had already taken the lives of two Tributes. Did I really want to be responsible for the death of one more? Of course, I hadn't done anything to her.

But I had just sat by and watched when she had lay there in pain. I could have thrown a knife. I could have killed Clove first. Glimmer next. Then Marvel. Then Coral. And then Cato. That would have left me with one knife left if I hadn't missed anyone else. For Peeta. But would I have been able to kill him? Even if he had turned against me, Peeta was still my friend and I had sworn that I wouldn't hurt him. But had this changed the rules? Was he just a victim of circumstance or had he joined the Careers willingly? I wished that I knew.

"Please, help me," the girl pleaded.

Maybe I should. It was the right thing to do. I knew that much. She still wouldn't survive the Games but at least I'd feel a little better. It would give me a chance to redeem myself. A thought halted my movements. If I helped her would I lose my Sponsors? Would they think that I was weak? It didn't matter. I was going to redeem myself. I was going to give this girl a fair shot at living and getting back to her family. Untying the rope from my waist, I pushed the blanket off of my torso and dropped out of the branch. Slowly I made my way down branch after branch.

"Oh, thank you!" the girl cried.

"Shut up or I'll kill you myself," I hissed.

She silenced herself as I continued to move down the branches. I was only about fifteen feet off of the ground when I saw the fear return to her eyes. "Oh, please! No! Leave me alone!" she yelled.

Tears began to stream down her face again. That pushed me into action. Her life or mine, mine was more important. I hid at the back of the branch as who I thought would be Cato returned to see why no cannon had gone off yet. A few whipped me across the face as I ducked back in the branches. Instead of the leader of the pack returning, it was Peeta. He held a sword in hand as he leaned over her. She screamed loudly and he covered her mouth. I growled slightly as the two of them wrestled with each other.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I'll make it fast," Peeta said.

My heart was thumping in my chest. He was really doing this to her. Peeta Mellark, who had saved my life when I was about to die from starving to death. It was like I'd never seen him before. Peeta was stronger than her but I could see the doubt in his eyes. He didn't want to kill her. He didn't know how to take her life. He probably hadn't killed anyone yet. He really couldn't do it when she was pleading at him with her eyes and tears were falling all over his hands. He dropped her and I scoffed. If he was going to join the Careers, he needed to at least act like one.

Unfortunately I had forgotten how easy it was to hear little noises like that. Shocked at the fact that someone was standing around him, Peeta turned to me. He glanced at the tree for a moment before he finally caught my eyes. He stared at me in shock and I kept my face even. He had really joined them and he wasn't even saying anything. Despite the fact that I was shocked by what I was seeing, I had to act like I was unfazed. For the cameras. He dropped the sword in his hand and sighed.

"Go ahead. Do it. You're a Career, aren't you? This shouldn't be hard for you. As easy as a betrayal," I sneered.

So maybe I wasn't that good at masking my emotions. "Aspen -"

I held up a hand to get him to stop. For some reason he did. I didn't want to hear anything that he had to say. He had done the worst thing that someone could possibly do to me. He had betrayed me. The girl on the ground was writhing in pain all while begging for one of us to save her. Peeta looked on at her in sorrow and I grabbed a knife. Pulling it back to my head, I realized what I had to do. Every camera would be showing me. The girl looked at me in shock. Throwing forward, the knife soared through the air and landed with a thud in the heart of the girl from District 8.

She fell with her eyes wide open and her mouth hanging. She hadn't even had a chance to scream. She had probably thought that I was going to throw it at Peeta. I almost had. It was only at the last second that I remembered that I'd promised Peeta that I wouldn't hurt him. I didn't want to hurt him, even with what he'd done. So I would wait it out. I wouldn't hurt Peeta until I had to. Chances were that Cato would kill him first. Peeta leaned down on the ground next to the body of the girl and twisted the knife from her chest.

What I had just done came soaring back to me. I gulped at the sight of her bloody and burned body. Three. She made the third Tribute that I had killed in these Games. And we weren't even a whole day into them. She was officially the ninth Tribute dead. That made fifteen of us left. Six of them were Careers. They had the majority. I sighed slightly and watched as Peeta grabbed the knife. He walked over to my tree and I stiffened. Was he going to throw it at me? I knew that he wasn't that great of a thrower, but the distance between us wasn't very far. He could definitely hit me if he tried.

Instead of throwing the knife he walked up to the base of my tree and jammed the knife into the trunk, a few feet below where I was. I watched as he looked up to me and sighed. He wasn't covered in blood but I realized that I couldn't be sure if he had killed anyone today or not. But Cato was clean and I knew that he had killed at least two people. Probably more. I was covered in blood. Perhaps tomorrow I would head to the stream that the Careers were talking about and wash myself off. I wondered if he was going to say anything but he only stared at me.

"Aspen, look. You have to know why I joined them. It wasn't -" Peeta began before I cut him off.

"I don't care why you did. You broke a promise. I know that you wanted to be more than just a piece in their Games, but that's exactly what you are. You took the easiest route out. I would never have joined them, no matter what they did to me. And now she's dead and I killed her. Because of you. Because you couldn't do what you had signed up for with them. You know she's the third person that I've killed today? There was only one person that I was determined to kill, and that was Cato. Now there's two. I'll let you guess who the other one is," I sneered at Peeta.

There went my attempt to not let my emotions get the best of me. "Aspen, please -"

"Go. And don't be shocked when they turn on you and kill you," I told him.

"I'm sorry, Aspen."

He looked like he was heartbroken but he nodded and left the clearing. I sighed at the encounter and dropped off of the branch. I needed that stupid knife that I'd thrown. I hit the ground and hissed as my knees shook. It was a little bigger of a drop than I'd been expecting. Stumbling slightly, I turned and looked at my knife that was lodged into the tree. It had blood on about half of the blade from where it had pierced the girl's heart. I gulped deeply and wrenched the knife from the tree. Pushing it back into the belt on my leg, I grabbed the top branch of the tree and went to pull myself up.

The only good thing about positioning myself in the trees was that the cameras likely were having a hard time picking me out. They must have heard everything that I said, but it was probably very hard for them to catch my face. While I had been concealed by darkness and the sleeping bag and the willow branches, it was definitely difficult for the cameras to get a good shot of me. The closest camera to me was one branch over and had a bunch of leaves in between itself and me. I knew that they were tracking me now though. The minute I hit the ground I was guaranteed a close-up.

The audience would have been beside themselves, knowing I was in the tree, that I overheard the Careers talking, and that I discovered Peeta was with them. Until I work out exactly how I wanted to play that, I had better at least act on top of things. Not perplexed. Certainly not confused or frightened. No, I needed to look one step ahead of the game. So as I slid out of the foliage and cleaned the blood off of the knife, I paused for a second, giving the cameras time to lock on me. Then I cocked my head slightly to the side and gave the cameras a knowing smile. There. Let them figure out what that meant.

The moment I took to make the Capitol look clueless backfired on me. Right as I got a hold on the branch and lifted I felt someone pull me down from the tree. I had to fight from screaming. The person wrestled me to turn so that my back was hitting the tree. It pressed the bark into my skin and I growled. It was definitely one of the larger Tributes. They were strong. Trying to kick out at them didn't work. A moment later I had a blade to my throat. Without thinking about who was on the other end of the blade I kicked out and heard the grunt from the Tribute.

The pitch of the grunt told me that it was a male. Without thinking I tackled the Tribute onto the ground and was shocked when he flipped us over. He was definitely stronger than me. I reached for the knife but the Tribute pinned my hand back. We hit the body of the District 8 female and I gasped. The Tribute that was on top of me forced his torso down between my legs and he pressed his sword against my throat. I shoved my palm up into his throat and the Tribute groaned, sitting his knees onto my arms and using his free hand push me onto my back.

I continued to struggle but ultimately gave into death and prayed that they would make it quick. "Not a bad fight, princess. You did well," the Tribute said.

That was a voice that I already knew. The cameras were probably focused in on the fight and the Capitol people had been shocked to see me in another fight. By now they would all be glued to their screen and drooling, wondering if this was about to turn into a fight or seduction. I gasped and opened my eyes as I realized that it was Cato. He had stopped pushing down on me and I had stopped thrashing. For the moment we were just trapped in a very compromising position. And with a corpse that we were currently pressed up against.

He laid himself between my legs and I bucked my hips, but that did nothing for me. He merely smirked at me as our bodies were shoved together. He was down on his forearms and his breath was tickling my face. He was incredibly warm and a tiny part of me wanted him to stay on top of me. It was warmer than I'd been all night. It was almost comforting. But instead I tried to wrestle my arms away from him. He was too heavy and I couldn't get my arms free of his weight. He continued to smirk as he watched me struggle. The entire time I was trying to avoid looking at his face.

"Cato," I growled.

"Very good, Twelve."

"Are you done?" I asked.

"I haven't even started," he said, gently rubbing the the blade of the sword against my throat.

"There are lots of pointy things you could touch me with. Pick something else," I hissed.

The reaction from both of us was immediate. Cato's face dropped and mine erupted into flames. The Capitol people were likely howling with laughter. "What would Primrose think if she heard you say that?" Cato asked teasingly.

"Well she did and I can't take it back. I am serious. Get your damn sword off of my throat!" I whisper-yelled.

"Should I put something else there?" Cato asked smartly.

"Get the hell off of me!" I hissed.

It suddenly didn't feel like a fight to death. It felt like one of those terrible romantic comedies that the Capitol makes during the times that the Hunger Games don't run. I saw one once when our television was working. Cato laughed and pinned himself against my body even harder. Despite the fact that we were both wearing the jacket and baggy pants I could still feel his body through the clothes. His chest was rock hard and I didn't even want to think about what was a little farther down. Even though I'd just made it obvious that I did.

"I think you like this, Twelve. You just said so," Cato told me.

"I did not!"

"Come on, I see that bright red on your cheeks. You don't want to admit that it feels good," he purred.

I didn't want to admit that his voice was making me melt but it really was. "You make me feel like I'm going to be sick," I muttered.

He grinned at me. "There were two Tributes on the fallen list that I don't know. Perhaps was it you that got to them?" he asked.

I scoffed and shook my head. "Yeah, it was me. Both of them. Nine tackled me to the ground and I stabbed her in the throat. Seven chased me through the woods and I threw a knife at him. Bulls eye, literally," I told him.

He smiled at me and nodded. "Not bad, Twelve. I'm proud of you. You actually made it out of the Bloodbath," he said.

"You thought that I wouldn't?" I asked.

He had been so confident that he would see me in the Death Match, why had he suddenly lost faith in me? "You're a little reckless," Cato said.

"Like you aren't," I snapped.

"I knew that you would make it. I just thought you might be a little more banged up. Come on, Twelve. You'd be dead if it weren't for me," Cato said.

"And I'm grateful for it," I muttered.

"You could show me just how much."

Absolutely not. "Why is Peeta with you?" I asked, a sudden rage shooting through me.

If anyone knew why Peeta was there, it would definitely be Cato. The others would kill me before I got the chance to ask them why he was there. But I wanted to know. If the Capitol people knew, I deserved to know too. I didn't know what it was about Cato but he always had one of two effects on me. He either made me melt where I stood or he sent a red hot rage through me. The former had been last night and the latter was right now. For some reason there was no in between when it came to the two of us.

"He got cornered by me at the end of the Bloodbath and swore that if we didn't hurt him he would lead us right to you. Turns out he was right," Cato said.

My jaw dropped when I heard what he had said. Cato was watching me with a small smile. He'd known that it would get to me. The Capitol people must have been thrilled with our meeting. But I couldn't tell if Cato was telling me the truth or if he was trying to mess with my head. Was he serious? Peeta had sold me out just to live for a few more days? I should have used that knife on him. He was a lying, deceiving traitor. The next time I saw him, I would be sure to kill him.

Instead of letting him know that he had gotten to me, I changed the subject. "Keep in mind that you would be dead if it weren't for me," I sneered.

"Come again?" Cato asked.

"District 3. The knife? Literally just happened a few hours ago," I said.

"It would have missed me."

"Don't be a moron. Just say thank you."

"I'd rather show you," Cato said.

How did he manage to say things like that? Who did that? No one. Except for Cato Hadley. It was the truth, no matter what he thought. Had I not grabbed his shirt and pulled him away from the girl from District 3 Cato would have had a knife in the back of his head. But I had saved him and in return he had killed her. He grabbed my chin and patted the side of my face. I grimaced and tried to pull away from him but he kept a tight grip. Everyone is watching this. Do something! I gradually moved my leg inwards so that I could kick him in the groin but he knew where my leg was going.

He caught my shin and forced my leg back down with a grin. I thought that he would drop my leg after that but he didn't. Instead he brought his hand slowly up my leg and stopped at the top of my thigh. I noticed his hand followed the scar that the bear had left. My face lit up as his fingers tickled the back of my thigh. He moved my leg back outside of where he was lying on me. He pushed his hands through my hair and for a moment I thought that he would kiss me. For once I hoped that he actually would. But he surprised me by bringing his face down into the crook of my neck and brushing his lips under my ear.

Every part of my body was as tense as it could be and I prayed that he would stop. The only thing that I wanted was for him to stop touching me and to go away. But I knew that more of me wanted him to continue. I had to hold my breath to keep myself from making some noise that I was sure would make his actions ten times worse. And it would probably send Gale into a frenzy back home, if he wasn't in one already. Cato pulled away finally and smirked at me. I knew that my face was a brilliant red and my breathing was ragged.

"Enjoying yourself, Aspen?" Cato asked.

I gave him with a sidelong look, shocked that he had actually called me by my name. Normally it was either Twelve or princess. At least in front of people. "I do know your name. Don't look so shocked," Cato said.

"I know that you do. Is there a reason you're still on me?"

"I'm not done here yet," Cato said.

Our chests were still touching and I was sure that he could feel me panting underneath him. "Well I am done. You've had your fun. Now get off of me," I growled, pushing him off of me.

He moved off of me slightly but still kept me pinned underneath him. I was able to sit up, despite the fact that we were almost nose to nose when I did. He smirked at me and grabbed my waist. Once more my face heated up and I could have slapped myself. Why did I have such terrible control of my face? And why was this the first time where I had been uncontrollably been blushing? Prim had told me once that girls blushed when they were around boys that they liked. I had laughed at her and brushed it off at the time. Was she right? Was I like this because I liked Cato?

"While we're in this position how about we make it useful?" Cato asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Oh, shut up."

Thankfully he actually did shut up. That wasn't to say that he didn't give me an annoying look. I rolled my eyes and thought that I would have to fight him on getting off of me again. He looked like he was going to keep me on my back all night long. But he surprised me by he getting off of me and standing up. I waited for him to give me a hand up but he only brushed himself off. I scoffed at him. He really did annoy me. I pushed myself off of the ground and turned to face him.

"What? No helping the lady up? The lady that you tackled in the first place?" I joked.

"You'll manage." It made me smile. I glanced down and saw that he had a water canteen attached to his hip. "Thirsty?" Cato asked.

"Even if I said yes you'd say no," I reasoned.

"You think so little of me."

Cato reached around and handed me the canteen. I took it in surprise and popped the cap off. There was less than a mouthful. It was only a few ounces but it would be enough to keep me for at least another day. It was afterwards that I realized that he might have poisoned it. But it would have been well worth it. I wiped my mouth and handed the canteen back to Cato, staring at him sidelong. I should have made him drink from it first.

"It's not poisoned. When I kill you, it'll be with this," he said, showing me the sword.

"Charming. Thank you," I growled.

Cato walked with me over to my tree. He glanced up at where I had been laying earlier and nodded. "I've been gone too long. I should leave," Cato said.

"Good."

He turned back to me and smirked. "I thought that I saw you up there earlier. When Lover Boy took that long with her I came to investigate. He came back by me and asked where I was going. Told him that I wanted to check around her campsite and see if I could grab anything useful. I just wanted to see if I was right about you being here. And I was," he said, with a prideful grin.

"And here I thought I was so well hidden," I teased.

He watched as I grabbed the first of the branches and pulled myself up. It was easier now that I had some water in me. It was barely enough to help but it was something. I climbed underneath a few of the branches before glancing back down. Cato was sheathing his sword. Once he was done he looked up at me and smirked. I shook my head and kept climbing until I had reached the branch where I had been sleeping. Before I sat down in the branch I looked out and smiled at Cato. He looked like an ant from up here.

"Goodnight, Two. Don't think that tonight makes us friends. You saved me earlier so I'm not in a rush to kill you. I guess you're not in a rush to kill me because of the same. But trust me, when the time comes, I will fight you. And I will win," I said, with as confident of a voice that I could muster.

"I look forward to that, Aspen," Cato said.

He sent me a wink before he turned away from my tree and disappeared through the bushes. I listened for him for as long as I could. But his footsteps were soft and he moved quickly. Glimmer's fading laughter was the only thing that I could hear a few minutes later. I sighed and took my place in the nook of the tree. Settling in I pulled my blanket over myself and redid the knots that had been holding me in earlier. Just as I was tying the final knot a loud engine began to purr. It must have been the hovercraft coming to take her body away.

I watched as a hovercraft similar to the one that we had come to the arena in came and floated over the space that her body was lying in. A bright light shone down onto the ground and the District 8 female's corpse was lifted into the air. The light disappeared once she had been taken into the hovercraft and the thing made a quick flight away from my tree. Once more I was left in the darkness and I sighed, lying down on my pack. It had been an incredibly long day and I was ready to pass out for good. Steadying my breathing from my encounter with Cato I closed my eyes and slipped into a nightmare filled rest.

Shooting from the crook of the tree I slipped off of the branch. I hissed at the pain as the rope that was around my waist caught me. I'd tilted slightly out of the tree and now the rope was digging into my stomach. I hissed and leaned back up onto the tree trunk. I was forced to sit back up in the tree at the strain that the rope was putting on me. Damn you, Cato. I had been in the middle of a nightmare with him at the center of it. He had been talking with me as we walked through the woods and out of nowhere he had stabbed me in the stomach. The pain had radiated through me and I had woken up.

Had I not been tied into the tree I would have fallen from it, most likely to my death. Sighing at the dream I untied myself and pulled the blanket off of me. No one else had died last night. I hadn't heard a cannon since the girl from District 8. Maybe the Careers had found their stream and called it quits. But did that mean that it was safe for me to head to that same stream? I figured that I would be safe. Since Glimmer was so loud I would hear her long before I actually got to the stream if it wasn't safe. Carefully I tied everything back up and packed it into my backpack again.

Part of me wanted to jump straight down and onto the grass. But I knew that the tree was far too tall. I was at least fifty feet up in the air. I was also smart enough to know that a daredevil jump like that might cost me my life or my legs. Either way it wasn't something that I was willing to risk. If I did something to seriously hurt myself there were only so many things that Sponsor medicine would help with. So instead I slowly made my way back down the tree and jumped down the last few feet. I landed in a crouch and stood up back up. I had a knife in one hand as I walked over to where I had set my traps.

Just in case a Tribute caught me by surprise I wanted to be prepared to defend myself. I hadn't set up any of my traps too far from my tree. The farthest trap was only about a mile. But there was no way that I could stay in the tree. The Gamemakers would eventually get sick of me having a same day routine and they would send me something. A mutt probably. I didn't want to face one of those at all if I could help it so I knew that I had to keep moving. Unless I was seriously injured I had to move all the time. It would also throw Tributes off if they were attempting to hunt me.

After about half an hour I managed to find my first trap that I had placed the farthest out. To my dismay there was nothing in the trap. Nothing had even triggered the trap. Gale's voice echoed in my head. You make the worst traps. The animals can always tell that it's there. Learn how to camouflage them. If only I could have Gale's help right now. He knew exactly how to make traps and camouflage them. Even Katniss would have been a help. This was one of the few things that she was better at than me.

Angrily kicking the trap I set it off and sighed. At least it worked. I gathered the rope that I had used and placed it back in my pack. Without wasting any time I moved on to the next trap. Thankfully that one held a small rabbit. The thing wasn't that big but for one person it would easily last me the day. Unfortunately without more food and no water I would quickly dehydrate. I grabbed the rabbit out of the trap and placed the rope back in my bag. I knew that making a fire was the right thing to do. Eating a raw rabbit could give me rabbit fever. Katniss and I had learned that lesson the hard way a few years ago.

So I decided to turn back and return to my tree. It wasn't incredibly wise but the fire from the girl from District 8 was still there. It would be easier than me trying to make the entire thing by hand when I only had so much. I returned to her spot and moved into the side of the clearing. I grabber her things and replaced them near a large rock structure. At least she knew how to make a fire. That was the one thing I could give her. Using her old things I made myself a small fire and cooked my rabbit quickly.

It probably wasn't completely done but I had to move quickly. Before the smoke from the fire could rise I stamped it out and got to work skinning the rabbit. Skinning animals was my least favorite part but it was vital. I was glad that Gale had forced me to learn when we were younger. Don't think, Tiger. Just do it. My heart twanged at the thought of home. I missed my friends so much. I wondered if they saw the Bloodbath. If they thought that I was going to die. If they watched me take the life of three people. If they saw the hate in my eyes when I saw Peeta last night. Or if they watched the encounter with Cato.

Shaking my head I went back to the rabbit and pulled the meat out that was safe to eat. I grabbed the meat and started another fire to cook it. Once it had charred enough so that I wouldn't poison myself I stamped the fire out again. Kicking the debris from the fire around me I moved away from the cave in case another Tribute had somehow seen the smoke. I found the same fallen log that I had hidden under the day before and crawled under it. Taking the meat out of my jacket pocket I quickly ate it. I hadn't thought that I had been that hungry as I was until I had eaten all of the meat. I was still starving.

A soft buzzing noise alerted me to one of the cameras. If nothing else interesting was happening they were likely showing my hunting skills. I was glad for the cameras now. I wanted Sponsors to see that I could hunt. I wanted them to see that I was a good bet because I wouldn't be lured into traps as easily as the others would by hunger. While I tried to let the foot settle in my stomach and hopefully expand, I ground up part of a charred branch and set about camouflaging my orange backpack. The black toned it down, but a layer of mud would definitely help. Of course, to have mud, I'd need water…

Water was my first thought for today. Pushing the hunger out of my thoughts I moved out from under the fallen log and headed towards my third trap. My stomach rumbled at the sudden thought of food and I sighed. I was going to be starving throughout most of these Games. That was the way that most of the Tributes met their end towards the middle of the Games. And infection. They had survived the fights but they had no idea how to get food. A lot of Careers died that way too. They either didn't know how to hunt or they didn't know how to properly clean the animal.

It took me a little bit longer to find the third one. That was the one that I had hidden the best. Take that, Gale. I'm not a total moron. It took me almost an hour to find it and I realized that I was stumbling around. The arena must have been over a hundred degrees and I was sweating out the tiny bit of water that Cato gave me last night. I needed to find that lake today. I finally found my third trap and glanced sideways at it. Something had triggered the trap but nothing was there. The trap looked like it had almost been destroyed. There was grass that had been moved all over the place around the trap.

Getting down on my knees I looked at the shape that was imprinted in the grass. Once I realized what it was I scoffed. I had caught myself a Tribute. They must have stumbled into my trap in the middle of the night and fallen. Clearly they were able to get out of the trap and get out of here before I could find them. Damn. They were a lucky kid. These traps were too far away for me to hear if I caught something. But I didn't know what I would have done if I walked over to the traps earlier and found some poor Tribute caught up in one of them.

Gathering the rope that had once been my trap I placed the torn trap into my pack and sighed. That was the piece of rope that I wouldn't be able to use again. I glanced up at the sky and pushed some sweaty strands of hair out of my eyes. By the look of the artificial sun it was probably about two in the afternoon. For some reason the Gamemakers were trying to bake us. Obviously they were trying to push people towards that lake. They wanted more bloodshed. It must have been over one hundred degrees in the arena. I knew that at this temperature I would dehydrate within the day if I didn't get water soon.

It was always one of the biggest issues early on in the Games. Thankfully dehydration was rather fun - albeit painful - to watch. That likely meant that I would at least be safe from mutts. At least that was one thing that I could ignore for today. Deciding that the rest of my day would be best spent getting myself water I looked for a high tree. A few feet from where I was standing there was a tree that towered over the rest and I made my way up it. My head was spinning and I knew that it was a fool's move to climb so high. I could barely hang onto the trunk. Dehydration set in faster than I had thought it would.

I was about seventy feet up when I looked out around the arena. All around me there was woods but I could see the rest of the arena rather well. There were the mountains to my right and the wheat field that was off to the side of them. On the other side of the mountains there was the desert area. I looked for the stream carefully. After a few minutes of searching I finally saw the tiny stream that the Careers had been talking about. It was much smaller and harder to access than the lake. It didn't look like anyone was there so I made a map of the route to the stream and climbed back down the tree.

The desert area looked like it was completely covered in boulders and had a rough layout. At least that meant that I would have some cover. It figured that the Gamemakers had put the water source in the least covered area of the arena. They were hoping that Tributes would rush there and get into a fight. Shaking my head I began my walk over to the desert area. It would probably take me about an hour and a half to get to the stream at the slow pace that I was keeping. I wanted to get to the water but I also wanted to save my energy that I had gotten from the rabbit in case I needed it.

For a moment I actually wished that I had taken Clove up on her offer to be a part of the Careers. They had all the food that was here in the arena, or most of it, and they had Sponsors that would send them anything they desired. Scoffing I kicked a twig and rolled my eyes at myself. I was throwing a tantrum because I wasn't getting the food that I wanted. I could really go for a damn steak right now but it didn't matter. If I made it out of this arena I could eat steaks every day. Katniss, Gale, and Prim. We could all have whatever we wanted. There would be no more starving or taking out Tessera. We would be safe.

As I hiked along, I felt certain that I was still holding the screen in the Capitol, so I was careful to continue to hide my emotions. There hadn't been a cannon so everything else in the arena was likely quiet. The Careers killing talk would only amuse people for so long. But me, oh, what a good time Claudius Templesmith must be having with his guest commentators, dissecting Cato's behavior and my reaction. What to make of it all? Had Peeta revealed his true colors? Did Cato really like me? How did that affect the betting odds? Would we lose Sponsors? Do we even have Sponsors? Yes, I was certain we do, or at least did.

Certainly Peeta had managed to throw a wrench into our friendship plan. Now it looked like he was trying to kill me to get back to Katniss. Did that gain him all of our Sponsors? And what about Cato and the Star-Crossed Lovers dynamic? Did people really think that there was something going on there? I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure if there even was something going on. Maybe they haven't, since neither one of them had spoken much about me. Maybe Cato and I could still get some mileage out of it. Maybe people would think that our semi-separation was something we plotted together if I seemed like it amused me now.

It seemed like I was walking for hours on end before I finally broke the wood line and reached the desert part of the arena. Some years the arenas were small and some of the arenas were huge. This one seemed to be the size of the entire Capitol. Compared to the woods the desert area looked so ominous. It definitely wasn't a place that any sane person would go. You're crazy, Aspen, Katniss has said at least a thousand times. I almost smiled. Taking a breath and calming my nerves, I walked into the area. For the first few minutes I just took it one step after another.

Mostly I was hoping that nothing would jump out at me or that I wouldn't blow up. Almost immediately after I stepped foot into the desert part of the arena sweat began to trail down my face and back. My breathing quickly became ragged. The Gamemakers heated this part of the arena to such an insane temperature that no Tributes dared to enter. That was the problem. If we wanted to avoid the river, this was the only other part of the arena that had water. Tributes would be forced to come here.

They were hoping for either deaths by dehydration, which was painful to watch, or Tribute encounters, which were favorites of the Capitol people. As the day wears on, I knew that I was headed for trouble. What little urine I had been able to pass was a dark brown, my head was aching, and there was a dry patch on my tongue that refused to moisten. Fatigue was beginning to settle on me, but it wasn't the usual tiredness that followed a long hike. I had to stop and rest frequently, although I knew that the only cure for what ailed me required continued searching.

Frequently I found myself thinking that Gale and Katniss would be telling me that I could do it. Just get up and keep going. Just like that day behind the Mellark's bakery. Keep going. At one point I used some grease from the rabbit's fur - which I took to keep my hands warm at night - and rubbed it on my lips to keep them from cracking anymore. It tasted horrible and only helped for a few minutes. The Capitol people were likely disgusted by my actions but I was proving that I knew how to take care of myself.

My walk seemed to take far longer than it should have. It seemed that our arena was much larger than they normally were. That was a good and bad thing. It was good because we could all stay away from each other and it was less likely that we would pass by each other. But it also meant that it was almost impossible to find things. They could spread out food and water. There was one year when I was only six that the arena was only a mile in diameter. It was almost impossible for Tributes to hide and led to an absolute slaughter in only five days. It was one of the highest-rated Games I could remember.

Walking through a thicker part of the rocks, I stumbled slightly but managed to catch myself. The terrain on this side of the arena was rough and hard to walk on. It hurt my feet but I was used to the pain. For days on end, Gale, Katniss, and I would walk through the woods without stopping. About three years ago I was walking through the woods with the pair of combat boots that had been my mother's when I'd tripped over a log and slammed my foot down right on top of a small cactus. I had cried out and laid on the ground for hours before Gale had found me.

I'd been thinking that I would die out there until he had managed to spot me. I'd never seen him look so terrified. He had claimed that I'd been missing for two days. It had felt like I'd been gone for weeks. He had grabbed me and brought me to Ms. Everdeen, who had gotten the spikes out. For days I had laid on their couch while my foot healed and the entire time Gale had sat with me to make me feel better. He had told me all sorts of stories that most parents told their children after they had been woken from a nightmare, teasing me for being so clumsy the entire time.

I loved Gale more than anything, but was it a romantic love? No. Not now at least. But was romantic love something that I could grow into? I wasn't sure. Ms. Everdeen had told me once that I would know when the right man came along. She had told me that she grew up with a boy that everyone had thought that she would marry, but when she had met Mr. Everdeen she had known. She knew that it didn't matter what other people thought about her relationship. She knew that he was the man for her. She told me that there would be a spark. I hadn't really ever felt a spark with Gale.

The closest thing to a spark I had ever felt was the night we spent hours watching the stars together. Even then it wasn't a spark. It was peace. Had I felt it with Peeta? No. I loved Peeta. That much was true. It wasn't romantic but he was my friend. Or he was. Before he betrayed me. There was Marvel, but he was goofy and ridiculous. He was probably quite a charmer, but I would never feel a spark with him. There was Finnick, but he was like my protective older brother. I hoped that he would have a long and happy life with Annie. There was Thresh, but he was only a friend. A friend that would be dead within two weeks.

Then there was Cato. How the hell did I feel about him? We had both had plenty of chances to kill each other but neither of us had taken them. We left each other stunned every time that we crossed paths. I had felt something the moment that I had seen him but that was lust. Not love. I hated him. I had to. There was no other option. The first time that I had talked to him he had left me confused and angry. But there had been our moment up on the roof. I had told him about laying out at night and watching the stars and he had told me about the time he had spared a rabbit and gotten beaten for it.

We had exchanged stories for a long time. I had held his hand like we were the oldest of friends and told him about how I had taken the beating for a girl I didn't even know. I'd even mentioned when I learned how I lost my parents. He had told me that he didn't want to kill me and I had agreed. I had laid in the crook of his arms and we had joked together. I had even told him that he was falling for me. It had been a joke but was I serious about the whole thing? I felt differently about Cato then I did about anyone else. But I had no idea if it was love or not.

There was no doubt that he was stunningly attractive. His light blonde hair and bright blue eyes were enough to make any reasonable girl melt. And I even knew that he had the ability to be nice. He had said plenty of sweet things to me but they had all either been in private or he had played them off like he was kidding. Like he was just trying to sweet talk the pathetic little District 12 Tribute.

Thankfully the thoughts of Cato and Gale were almost enough to distract me from my thirst. Only one other good thing came from the fact that there was so little water in the arena. My fear of the Career pack was minor compared to my burning thirst. Besides, they were heading away from me and by now, and they, too, would have to rest. They were likely back by the Cornucopia. With the scarcity of water, they might have had to return to the lake for refills. Cato had been empty last night. Maybe that would be the only course for me too. I continued on anyways.

I stepped down from the rocks that I had been walking over and heard a loud hiss. Glancing down I realized that I had stepped down right next to a coiled snake. The thing reared its head back and bared its fangs to me. I had to cover my mouth to keep from screaming. I hated snakes. They were the one thing in this world that I was deathly afraid of. Whipping out my knife, I tossed it into the head of the snake before backing off. It had been mid-jump at me when I had hit it. The thing fell into the sand and I sighed shakily.

I didn't want to lose the knife but I was too afraid to walk up to it. Don't be a baby, damn it. Get the fucking knife. Reaching out, I snatched the knife out of the snake's head and gasped as it wiggled around. The snake slipped off of the knife and fell to the ground motionless. Gasping softly I backed away from the snake quickly and sheathed my knife. If I was lucky no one in the Capitol saw that. Unfortunately they all probably did. Maybe they were laughing. I could have taken the snake and eaten it, as snake meat was perfectly edible, but I would never be able to touch it.

Since I was twelve I had never been able to look at a snake. I had been out hunting with Katniss one day when I was bitten in the ankle by one. The thing hadn't been venomous, thankfully, but it had still hurt and scared the hell out of me. Needless to say, I had never returned to that spot after that day. Katniss always liked to tease me about my fear, but I would just bring up her fear of spiders. Not long after my snake incident we had been hunting and Katniss had ran right through a huge spider's web. They'd fallen on her and she freaked out when they had bitten her. We vowed to never return to that spot either.

Smiling at the fond memory I finally came across the stream. A happy squeal almost erupted from my lips. It might have if they hadn't been so chapped. The river looked so out of place here but it didn't matter. I had slowed down drastically already and I needed to get water in me. By tomorrow I would have likely been dead. Or at least too weak to move. I had sweated out pretty much all of the water in my body and I desperately needed more.

Pulling my pack off and holding it I ran over to the stream and laughed as I fell down next to it. There was grass right around the edge of the stream and I happily placed my hand in it. It was freezing and felt amazing. I took a handful of the water and splashed my face with it. Immediately the blood, sweat, and dirt that had been covering my face began to run off. I quickly washed my face and got to work wiping my neck and chest down. Once I was satisfied with my work I dipped my braid into the water and squeezed it out. The wet hair would feel good to press against my face during my walk back.

Pulling the canteens out of my pack, I quickly dipped the first one in the water. It filled quickly and I smiled. I wanted nothing more than to down the entire thing but I knew that it wasn't safe. The Gamemakers could have made the water poisonous. I wouldn't be shocked if they had. Instead I pulled out the small bottle of iodine and let a drop fall into the water. It would take about an hour for the water to purify itself before I could drink it. I repeated the process with the second canteen and looked up at the sky. Only so much longer. Then I would have two fantastic canteens.

To my shock the sun was already beginning to set. It must have taken me longer to get out here than I had originally thought. I'd thought that it would only take me up until about midday. But now it seemed to be nighttime. All I had to do was get back to the edge of the woods and get up a tree that had enough coverage. I could tell that it wouldn't be safe for me to be out here at night. This was likely the place that would have most of the mutts. I didn't know what I would do tomorrow except for hunting. It would take a long time for me to find anything worthwhile.

It was what took up most of my days in District 12 so it was probably what I would find myself doing. Although here I had to do it by myself. Which would really suck. Now that I was hunting by myself after doing it for so long with Gale and Katniss, hunting was incredibly boring. These whole Hunger Games were. At least for the Tributes. For most of the day, every day, we were left here, bored out of our mind. And this was only the end of the second day. I was still probably going to be here at least another eight days.

Sighing I twisted the cap back onto my canteen and grabbed my bag. I placed both of the canteens back in my bag and went to turn around. I had loitered here long enough. I had to move on soon. There was a good chance that this part of the arena got dangerous at night. Every part of the arena got dangerous at night but this part I could tell would be even worse. With nowhere to hide the Gamemakers could force a Tribute to fight whatever gift they sent them. I went to shoulder my bag but just before I lifted the thing up a low growl came from behind me.

Every muscle in my body tensed. It's just a dog, Aspen. It's not anything that terrible. We're too early on in the Games for them to let something terrible out on me. I'd even managed to kill a few people. It wasn't a mutt. It couldn't be. My breath immediately hitched in my throat as I stopped all movement. Whatever was behind me, it wouldn't take well to any sudden movements. It wasn't a Tribute. I could hear the thing growling and breathing heavily. I sat in a crouch with my bag in my hands. As slowly as I possibly could I set the bag on the ground and gasped slightly as the growling from behind me became louder.

Whatever thins thing was, it sure as hell wasn't friendly. The Gamemakers had been sure of that. Why had they set a mutt on me this early in? One person had died today and I had been her killer. Why send a mutt after me? What had I done? Other than speaking poorly to both Seneca Crane and President Snow. Damn me. I would rue those words that I had spoken to them forever after this. I still couldn't believe it though. Why had Seneca set a mutt on me? I thought he said he was rooting for me. This wasn't going to help my chances at all.

Gale's voice echoed in my head. Run. Run as fast as you can. You can outrun all of the Tributes. But I couldn't outrun a mutt. They were almost all fast. As slowly as I possibly could I turned to where the mutt was standing. The growling would get louder with every small movement that I made and I would squint my eyes. I wanted to just stop and stay here. But I had to know what I was up against. What seemed like hours after I had first heard the noise, I was looking at the thing dead on, still in a squat.

The mutt was worse than any that I had ever seen the Gamemakers set on a Tribute. And I had seen some pretty terrible mutts before. The closest thing that I could compare it to was a wolf. It stood towering over me. It was probably around seven feet tall. It was in a crouch at the moment. Its teeth were bared to me. The teeth on it were probably a foot long each and they were razor sharp with a yellowish tint. There was a small glop of saliva in the mouth of the wolf and I gulped. It was hungry. The wolf had white fur that was ragged and had dirt clumped into it with patches of fur missing all over its back.

There were claw marks in the back of the mutt but I knew that the marks were only to scare Tributes. They did their job. The eyes of the mutt were something that I had never seen before. They were a bright glowing green and they were locked onto mine. What the hell kind of mutt has glowing green eyes? Slowly I looked over the mutt and thought about my options. All mutts were designed with skills in mind and they were always created for a purpose. This mutt was tall and lean, sharp teeth and claws, glowing green eyes, and it looked hungry.

Test it out carefully. It has a weakness. Find it. I shifted slowly from side to side, wondering if the mutt could see the small movements in the dark. But even with the minuscule movements that I was making, the mutt could easily follow me. Not a weakness, but that was it. The mutt had been given those eyes to help it see in the dark. It was a night hunter, strong, and absolutely terrifying. This mutt was designed to find Tributes that were seeking sleep and tear them limb from limb. I was not going back to my home in a plastic bag.

Carefully dropping my hand to my belt, I watched the mutt. I would have to carry the bag. Slipping it onto my back would weigh and slow me down. I would be able to throw one knife at the thing hopefully. I had better make it count. The mutt watched me with its intent eyes. The jaws of the mutt were dropped open and it gave me a look that was almost teasing. The damn thing looked like it was hoping that I would try to fight it. It was inviting me to make a move. Maybe that was what the wolf wanted. It wanted me to make a move so it could finally attack me, knowing the attack method that I would chose.

As I slipped the knife out of its sheath the wolf ceased growling and we were left in an eerie silence. The wolf howled loudly once I had unsheathed the knife and I jumped. Tributes all over the arena would have heard that. While the wolf still had its head in the air I prepared my attack. Raising the knife in a quick and sloppy motion, I threw it and waited. The knife landed in the wolf's chest on the far left side. The wolf immediately looked down to me and let out a loud roar. Grabbing my bag tightly I screamed slightly as it hit the ground and stared me down. The eyes of the wolf seemed to have turned from green to red.

That should have punctured the heart. Knowing the Gamemakers they had likely buried the heart of the wolf mutt back deeper than a normal wolf. I knew that every camera in the arena was on me. The people in the Capitol were watching this. I tried to think about something else. Win the fight and you win Sponsors. Without bothering to stick around to see if the wolf would get over the knife in its side I turned and ran in a full sprint away from the wolf. Before I got to the stream I had thought that I would have to be snakes on my way back. Now I didn't give a shit.

All I wanted was to get the hell out of this part of the arena and make my way up a tree. In the distance I could just barely see the tops of the trees. All I had to do was make it there. I would be safe. I could do it. I had to. I could feel the ground shaking as the wolf ran after me. I was pumping my legs harder than I ever had before and was practically flying. The wolf was fast too. It was designed to be able to chase Tributes. With a longer stride and two extra legs, it would outrun me shortly. I had to come up with another plan.

My adrenaline was sky high right now but I would tire soon and the wolf would easily catch up to me. I could already tell that it was gaining speed on me. And I was getting slower from the dehydration. I was staggering back and forth as I sprinted. Keep going, Aspen. Prove Cato wrong. Survive. I thought about throwing another knife but that would mean that I would have to stop and aim. By the time I had a good shot on the wolf it might be right on top of me. Plus the first knife had barely done anything other than anger the thing. I could pull out the sword too but I would have to let the mutt close to me.

Although there was a longer blade on the sword and I was almost guaranteed to hit something vital. The Gamemakers couldn't just not bother to give the mutt a heart. It needed one to survive. The sword was my better choice but I had to act on it now. I shifted my bag into my left hand and ripped my blade from its sheath. Gripping the handle tightly I turned back to the wolf. It was closer than I had thought. The wolf was directly behind me and before I had time to think about what to do, it reared up one paw with its claws extended and knocked me harshly to the side.

The claws of the wolf raked down my back and I let out an ear-splitting scream. It was so painful that I was sure that I was already dead. I had to be dead. There was no way that I could have survived that. The claws were sharp and easily pierced my skin as they raked down my back. The power in the wolf's hit knocked me off of my feet and I screamed as I twisted through the air. The deep cuts were pulled apart. As I flew through the air, I lost my grip on my bag and my sword slipped from my hand. I hit the rocks harshly and felt a rib crack as my front half hit the rock. I coughed at the impact and my vision went starry.

This thing didn't want a quick kill. It wanted to toy with its victims. Just like the Capitol. I looked down on the rock and saw blood dripping down it. I raised my hand to my face and realized that I had smashed my head on the rock. I was now bleeding. My back was already drenched with blood too. The mutt let out an unearthly roar as it seemed to laugh at me. I reached for my sword but it was too far away. I tried to crawl for it but the wolf wanted nothing of that. Clamping its jaws down around my waist, I whimpered at the sharp teeth pierced my skin. The wolf picked me up and bit down, crushing my ribs.

Unable to hold it in I screamed loudly as the wolf shook me back and forth, dangling me at the ground. I looked around with tears in my eyes as the wolf continued to play with me like a rag doll. I could see the woods. I wasn't far from them. I only had to make it a little farther. The wolf finally dropped me and threw me across the rocks. I yelled as the wolf threw me again and I slid across the ground. I pulled the knife that I had grabbed from the snake out of my pocket and threw it at the wolf as it approached me. The wolf was hovering right over me as the knife hit.

I was shocked that I had actually hit the wolf. My knife had soared right into the eye of the wolf which was now howling in pain. I rolled over onto my side as the wolf was distracted and I grabbed the sword. Luckily when the wolf had thrown me I had landed close to it. With my hand wrapped around the hilt of the blade, the wolf finally recovered from the blow and made its way over to me. It reared up on its back two legs and I quickly straightened the sword. As the wolf fell down to me the sword pierced through the chest of the mutt. It let out a terribly high pitched shriek as it fell the rest of the way onto me.

The mutt dropped onto my chest with its claws extended. Its claws pierced through me. I screamed at the blade-like claws that I had to carefully pull out of my chest. With every tiny movement the pain became worse and worse. I could only pray that I wasn't losing blood too fast. I shoved the wolf off of me and it hit the ground with a loud thud. Pulling myself over to the body of the mutt I grabbed the sword and pulled it out. I grunted from the pulling of my flesh as I sheathed it and crawled over to the eye of the wolf. I grabbed my knife and slowly crawled over to my bag.

At least I definitely wasn't thinking about dehydration anymore. That was now the least of my concerns. Throwing the bag over my shoulder, I found myself barely able to manage to stand. The wolf had taken so much out of me that I wasn't even sure if I would be able to make it to the woods. But I had to. For Prim I had to make it out of here. If she saw this. If Katniss and Gale saw this... I would survive. I had to survive. Gale had always told me that I was a survivor. I had to make it out of here and to the Death Match. Cato was wrong about me. I was strong.

Plus I didn't want the Gamemakers to get upset that I had killed their pet. I was sure that they hadn't expected me to win that fight. If it could even be considered a fight. Limping away from the body of the mutt I grunted with every step. My eyes were fuzzy and the pain was blinding. The dehydration was making my vision blur. I had to lay down soon or I would pass out here, open to any Tribute that happened to pass by. I hoped that the Careers got one of these set on them. But I knew that they hadn't. One mutt against six Tributes wasn't very entertaining. One mutt against one Tribute was pure gold.

After what seemed like hours of falling to my knees and crawling, stopping, and staggering to get back to the woods, I finally felt the hard ground turn soft. I had made it. I was here. I was safe. Squeaking with happiness I made my way to a tree that looked easy enough to climb and grabbed the lowest branch. I began to cry out at the pain as I pulled myself up and I collapsed. I knew that I couldn't do it. The gouges on my back were too big. They were going to tear my entire back open before I made it up to the tree.

I fell back to the ground as my legs collapsed under me. A cave. I could find a cave. I turned in all directions and finally found a small rock formation. I searched around the rocks before I finally found it. A tiny opening that was so small I almost missed it. It was covered in vines which made it almost impossible to see. I slid into the opening, crying out in pain softly. The rocks in the cave were hard but at least I would be safe in here. I could heal in peace. I tossed my bag off and found it pulling at the scratches on my back. I dropped my belt that held my weapons too.

Slowly I slipped my jacket off and I peeled my shirt off with it. I hated the fact that the Capitol was seeing me like this, as they were all definitely glued to their screens watching me, but I didn't care. I needed to see how bad the wounds were. The scratches at my chest weren't deep but they were large from the tips of the mutt's claws. There was a large gash in my head that was tender to the touch and was making my head spin. My ribs contorted painfully as I twisted and I cried out softly. The scratches on my back were the worst.

They were deep and ragged, leading all the way down my back. I knew that they would get infected. I could fix the others but there was no way that the back wound would heal on its own. I could only pray that I had Sponsors who would help me. I left my shirt off as I pulled my jacket on and zipped it up. I laid my bag in the back of the cave and grabbed the blanket. Leaning back slowly I hissed in pain as I laid back on my bag and pulled my blanket over me. I was cold but there was nothing that I could do about it. I wasn't strong enough to collect firewood. And it was too dark to risk starting a fire.

I slipped my eyes shut but it didn't matter what I thought about or how I tried to sleep. Those assholes had sent me a mutt because they were upset with the number of deaths in the Bloodbath and they were still angry about the training incident. I was angry too. I was starving, dehydrated, and in an intense amount of pain. Just as I thought it might be better to give up on sleep I heard a small beeping come from outside of the cave. What the hell was that? Had the Gamemakers sent me another present to finish me off? Please be a bomb. Let it end quickly. Put me out of my misery.

Barely able to peel myself off of the stone cave I managed to crawl through the cave and poke my head outside of the rocky entrance. I caught the source of the beeping and saw that it was a small grey package. A Sponsor. A Sponsor had sent me something. Greedily I grabbed the package and yanked it back into my cave. I crawled back under my blanket, grabbed a water canteen, and twisted the top of the Sponsor package off. Inside was a small canister that held steaming chicken noddle soup. There was also a large bundle of gauze. It wasn't much but it was more than I had now and I was thankful.

"Thank you," I mumbled softly to the walls.

If this was a cave there was a good chance that there was at least one camera hidden in here somewhere. They were likely expecting a few people to try and hide out in here throughout the Games. I knew that my Sponsor would hear me. As I finished off the soup I remembered that there would be a note in the canister somewhere. I found the note and pulled it out of the canister, slipping the soup container back in. I opened the note and smiled at it.

Prove that you're tough and I can get you better. Nice job, sweetheart -H

"Thanks Haymitch," I said softly.

The Panem anthem played and I leaned over to watch the sky. It was only the District 8 female's face that was shown. At least it wasn't me. I sighed deeply and shifted under the blanket. I grabbed the gauze and wrapped it around my back and front, making a second shirt out of the fabric. I shuddered in pain and hissed every time that I made another wrap. Every little movement sent a spike of pain through me, but lying still merely let a searing pain lay over my back. For hours I lay awake, whimpering at the pain. Even in my weak state I could still vaguely think about things.

It didn't take me long to come to the realization that if another Tribute passed by me they could easily end my life. I wasn't concerned. The truth is, I felt a million miles away from another living soul. Not alone though. No. They've surely got a camera tracking me now. I was absolutely positive that every camera in the Capitol was showing my face. Whatever else was happening - as long as it wasn't a fight - would be played later in a recap of the day. Right now they're all watching me, wondering if I'll die tonight.

No. No I will not die. Not tonight. I thought back to the years of watching Tributes starve, freeze, bleed, and dehydrate to death. Unless there was a really good fight going on somewhere, I was being featured. My thoughts turned to Prim. It was likely she didn't see the fight with the wolf mutt live. She was at school. Katniss likely skipped it to watch. Prim likely saw updates at the school during lunch. For her sake, I tried to look as least desperate as I could. Whether it was from pain, blood loss, or pure exhaustion, I passed out. The last thought that I had was of bright blue eyes and soft blonde hair.

In District 12...

Katniss Everdeen had finally managed to put her younger sister to bed after hours of fighting her on whether or not she could watch the Games. To Katniss's shock, Prim had sprinted home from school after seeing on the lunch recap that Aspen had been injured in the fight with the wolf mutt. Katniss had been pardoned from class. Katniss had tried to get her to go back to school but Prim had refused. Not until she knew. Aspen had been badly hurt today. The Gamemakers had put out the full report on her health early the morning after she was attacked. Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith had announced what the Tribute had suffered.

It had been determined that Aspen had suffered three severe abrasions over her back. They were almost one hundred percent likely to get infected if Aspen didn't get any medicine from Sponsors soon. She also had four small stab wounds above her chest that had come dangerously close to piercing her heart. There was a tiny hairline fracture against the side of her skull from hitting her head on the rocks. She had multiple bite marks on her stomach and back that were likely to get infected. As if that hadn't been enough to do to her, she also had two cracked ribs.

The eldest Everdeen bade her younger sister goodnight before walking out of the room. She was sure that Prim would be asleep until well in the afternoon. It was five in the morning and Aspen had only fallen asleep moments before. The Gamemakers believed that it was from blood loss. She had been bleeding from multiple wounds for hours. Prim refused to leave sight of the television until Aspen had fallen asleep and she was sure that the older girl was okay. Despite her encounter with the mutt having proved almost deadly, Aspen was holding up well. Her vitals were low, but she should live.

It was infection she had to worry about now. That was what was now the most likely to kill her. It was so late that Katniss had lost any amount of fatigue she had had earlier in the day. She wiped a few tears out of her eyes - that she had been fighting back since spotting Prim come back home this afternoon - and turned away. Her mother was glued to the television. Katniss was sure that she hadn't slept since Aspen had left for the Capitol. Sighing softly Katniss decided to go out on a hunt. With Aspen in the Games it was almost impossible to get out in the woods but now was a perfect time.

Katniss quietly slipped from her house and made a dash to the woods. She didn't want to risk being seen by Peacekeepers. But most were asleep for the night so that they could get ready for the next day of the Games. It would be the third day in the arena. Aspen still had at least another week in the Games if she didn't die from the infection. Katniss shook her head lightly and ducked under the logs that her bow was hidden in. She pulled the weapon out and sighed at the sight of Aspen's knives. She would do anything to have the other girl with her now.

But that was impossible. The only way that Katniss would get Aspen back now was if she won the Games. And if she did win she would return home as a completely different person. She slowly made her way up the ridge of her hunting grounds to watch the sun rise. It was too dark to hunt right now and she missed seeing the sun rise. Katniss walked up the ridge and stiffened as she realized that someone was already in her spot. The figure turned around to her and she sighed at the sight of Gale. He looked more depressed than she had ever seen him. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. He probably hadn't.

"What are you doing here Katniss? It's early," Gale told Katniss softly.

He still felt bad for the way that he had talked to her the other day. It was cruel and Katniss hadn't deserved it. Gale was just upset at the loss of Aspen. He hadn't set foot in front of a television and he hadn't been listening to any gossip of the Hunger Games. He had no idea if she was even alive or not. Katniss walked over to him and sat down, staring off over the Square with him. With no one out to watch the Games, the screen had been turned off. It would turn on again in a few hours when it was crowded with people again. That was when Gale would head deeper in the woods to avoid the screen.

Katniss knew that Gale hadn't seen the Games yet, so she figured that she should tell him what had happened. "Prim wouldn't go to sleep. She refused to fall asleep until she knew that Aspen was safe," Katniss told her best friend.

Gale perked up and Katniss couldn't help but smile. "She's alive?" Gale asked.

"Yeah. She's okay. Peeta is too but he's with the Career's," Katniss said.

Gale scoffed but Katniss chose to ignore it. "Cowards," Gale growled.

Katniss ignored that too. "She went for the Cornucopia on the first day and got tangled up," Katniss explained.

"Of course she did," Gale said, rolling his eyes.

She always had been a little reckless. "She grabbed a sword but the guy from District 6 tackled her. Cato killed him and saved her. He saved her and then she saved him from the girl from District 3, who was trying to throw a knife at him." Katniss had been debating not telling him that part, but he would find out one way or another. She had to tell him about the people Aspen had killed, but she didn't want to go into detail. He could see that in the recaps. "Anyways, she killed the girl from District 9 and the boy from District 7 that day."

Gale looked on in shock. Aspen had killed someone? Not even one person, she had killed two. How had she done that? Gale wasn't disappointed in her. He knew that she must have had to kill them. He was just shocked that she had taken a life so early on. But Katniss had said that she had gone into the Cornucopia. She must have gotten tangled up a few times. For a moment he wished that he was in the Games with her. He would have killed Cato. He would be there to protect her and figure out a way for the two of them to get out together. But now she was going to be damaged beyond belief.

He even knew that Cato was going to betray her, just the way that Peeta had. "That isn't it, Gale," Katniss said.

"What else?"

"She killed someone else in the middle of the night last night too. It was the District 8 girl."

Gale looked at Katniss in shock again and the younger girl shook her head. "Why?" Gale asked.

"There's more to the story. The first two attacked her. This girl made a fire below the tree that Aspen was sleeping in. The Careers found her and tortured her. They left her for dead and the girl begged Aspen to save her. She was going to. But Peeta came back to finish the girl off. He couldn't do it so Aspen did it for him. She did it as a mercy kill."

Gale nodded at his best friend and spoke for the first time in two days. His voice sounded foreign to him. "She's okay, then?" Gale asked.

Katniss gently shook her head. The worry returned to Gale's eyes and Katniss grabbed his hand. She didn't want to tell him this. Katniss chose to omit the part about Cato having cornered Aspen last night. It would only make Gale angry. Besides Katniss hadn't even let Prim watch the encounter. Prim had begged Katniss to let her stay because the ordeal wasn't violent but Katniss had put her foot down. She didn't want her younger sister hearing that asshole try to seduce Aspen.

"She's hurt. Real bad."

"Cato?"

"No," Katniss said.

"Another Tribute?"

"No. She was getting water from a stream earlier today when the Gamemakers set a mutt on her. She got away but just barely. She has lots of open wounds and only bandages to help. The Gamemakers think that she'll live from the injuries but it's the infection she has to worry about. If she doesn't get some help from Sponsors soon, she'll die," Katniss said.

There was an extremely sad look in her eyes. She couldn't imagine what her life would be like if Aspen died. Gale couldn't believe what he was hearing. Aspen had killed three people and now was on the brink of death herself. What the hell was he going to do if she died? He had Katniss, but he needed Aspen here too. She was the glue that held the three of them together. He couldn't lose her just because the Gamemakers had set a mutt after her. Why had they even set a mutt after her? She had killed three people. Shouldn't that justify leaving her alone for a few days?

Gale sighed and laid his arm over Katniss's shoulders. He pulled her close and the younger girl laid her head down on his shoulder. It had been a long time since she'd done that. Katniss knew that even though he hadn't vocally told her that he was sorry, he was. She knew that this was his way of apologizing to her. He had said cruel things to her and he knew it. But they didn't need to say that they were sorry. Katniss straightened up and pecked the boy that she adored most in this world on the cheek. Despite the fact that it was Aspen in the life or death situation, she knew that Gale needed some comfort now.

"She'll be fine, Gale. She has to," Katniss said, as the pair watched the morning sky turn bloody.


	11. Chapter Eleven

AT THE CAPITOL BROADCASTING CENTER...

The cameraman nodded at Caesar and began his countdown from three. The man shooed away the makeup artist and turned to the camera, smiling. "Well Claudius, we're going into the fifth day of competition and so far we've see outstanding performances from all of our Tributes! Shall we take a look at where the surviving Tributes all stand now?" Caesar Flickerman asked his reporting partner Claudius Temeplesmith with a giddy smile. It was only the middle of the fifth day and there had already been numerous bloody deaths from the Bloodbath and a miraculous fight between the District 12 female, Aspen Antaeus, and a wolf like mutt two days prior. That mutt had been designed to tear apart any Tribute limb from limb, but somehow Aspen had beaten it. Ratings of the Games had gone up nearly triple after the third day of competition once Aspen had found out that her District partner had betrayed her, she had encountered the District 2 boy, and she had nearly died in the fight with the mutt. It was the highest ratings that Caesar had ever seen for the beginning of the Games. But there was still a long way to go. Probably at least another week.

Claudius turned away from the screen that he was reading off of that held the locations and vitals of the Tributes and turned to look at Caesar. "Absolutely! Let's see where our remaining Tributes stand," Claudius prompted.

Nodding, Caesar turned back to the screen that flashed a live video feed from the Career camp and he turned back to the screen with a cheesy smile as Cato Hadley crossed in front of the camera. Cato was still the favorite to win, but people were itching to see him reunite with Aspen, not kill another Tribute. Although that would be a good bonus. "So far we have nine dead Tributes, mostly from the Bloodbath, and still fifteen Tributes left alive. And we haven't seen any death's in two days, not since the District 8 female was killed out of mercy. The Careers are still looking strong Claudius, just as they usually are. The group this year have begun stock piling their food, medical supplies, and weapons all around the Cornucopia while the District 3 male, Ethan, reactivates the mines from the beginning of the Games. It's a smart strategy that we haven't seen before."

"But we have seen some tensions beginning to rise at the Career camp," Claudius announced with a smile. "Lately we've seen nerves begin to twinge between all of the Career's with no deaths in the past two days. We all saw a nasty fight between Cato and Glimmer yesterday after she was complaining about how they haven't been tracking down Aspen. Naturally, Cato became angry with the fact that there are other people trying to track down 'his' Tribute, and he nearly killed the girl! The question we all want answered from him is, is the anger over Aspen out of a genuine want to kill her, or is it because he wants to protect her?" Claudius asked with a small waggle of his eyebrows.

With a smile, Caesar nodded happily. Hopefully the two would run into each other again today. The Capitol needed some fun. That fight had most likely been the only reason that no mutts had been set on another Tribute. "That's right! He's become very protective over the girl and we've seen how easily angered he is when anyone mentions something about the oldest Tribute. Perhaps it is the romance that we've all been itching to see!" Caesar, along with everyone else in the Capitol, was itching to see what was going to go on between the two. The Games had never had a real love story in them before so this was something totally new. He was one of the few people that knew that the Gamemakers were planning on leading Cato to Aspen soon in hopes that there would either be a fight, or their love would blossom. Either way, the Capitol and its people got the entertainment it wanted.

"Absolutely, Caesar! Now let's see where everyone else stands in the Games," Claudius smiled at the camera as the screen shifted from the Career's to a shot of the woods. It was where most of the Tributes were hiding.

The pair waited a moment before the camera set on the boy from District 3, Ethan. Caesar turned to the camera and smiled as he glanced up at the screen that showed where the Tributes were in the arena. "Here we see that Ethan has been captured by the Career's and in exchange for his life, he offered to reactivate the mines. But will he live once the job is done? The boy he was with yesterday, that escaped the Career's, the District 5 male has split off and is now hiding in wait up in a tree. He looks severely dehydrated and I wonder how much longer he'll be able to last without water? His District partner is hiding along the edge of the woods, and let me say, this girl is fun to watch!" Caesar yelled with a laugh. Despite the fact that she wasn't a favorite, people enjoyed watching her. "She's been sneaking food from the Career's behind their back and she still hasn't been caught! I think she deserved more than a 5 in training. Our female from District 7 is hiding in the forest very close to the mountains. We've seen the District 8 male, Jason, moving quickly this morning. The last time that we saw him a few minutes ago he was nearing Aspen's cave. The District 9 male has been lingering in the desert, but unlike Aspen, he was smart enough to leave before the sun sets. We've seen Rue moving slowly through the woods and Thresh hasn't left his spot in the wheat field. With no other Tributes there, it's a good hiding spot. Peeta is still with the Career's and Aspen hasn't been able to move from her cave the past two days."

Claudius nodded and shook his head sadly. Even though he wasn't allowed to root for favorites, Aspen had been one of his favorite Tributes from the beginning of the Games. Ever since he had seen her volunteer for her best friend's sister. One pf the most heartwarming scenes the Games had ever seen. "It's a terrible situation, Caesar. Aspen was lucky enough not to die in the attack from the mutt wolf. She looks like today she's ready to move on, but today isn't going to go well for her without any medicine from Sponsors. We can see that the wounds are now severely infected and continue to break open. I think it's safe to say that unless we see some medicine get delivered to her we can expect to see this infection kill her in the next twenty four hours," Claudius said.

The screen with the Tribute's location disappeared and the camera turned back to the two men. Caesar frowned as he watched the screen. He was rooting for Aspen to win, he didn't want her to die. Most of the people here didn't want to her to die. She was one of the most well liked Tributes this year. The camera finally made its way over to Caesar and he smiled brightly despite his sorrow for the young girl. "Well with eight males and seven females left it seems like we're in for an exciting day today, Claudius! Now let's get back to the arena and see how our favorite Tributes are spending their afternoons!"

IN THE ARENA...

It had been damn near an hour that I had been fighting to get on my feet, but every time that I moved there was a searing pain that would shoot down my chest so badly that I had been debating just sticking a knife in my chest and be done with it. But I refused to do that. I wasn't going to let Cato win. I was tougher than he thought. I wasn't going to let down Prim, Katniss, and Gale. I was going to win. I was going to push through this because it was my time to end the losing streak that had befallen my family. No one had died since I had killed the girl from District 8 and I was sure that the Gamemakers were getting bored. It wouldn't be long before they pushed two Tributes together. I hoped that they would leave me alone, but I knew that my thoughts were only wishful thinking. They may just try to push Cato towards me as I hadn't seen the male Tribute in two days. Part of me missed the banter that we always shared, but I knew that it was probably better that he wasn't around me. It would only make it harder to part with him as time went on.

Sighing softly I wanted nothing more than to go back home. It had only been about a week and a half since I had last seen my home, but it felt like it had been years. It felt like I wasn't even the same person that had been laughing with Katniss and Gale just eleven days ago. I could understand why people went insane during these Games. It was terrible. We were in complete isolation all day and we were exposed to the most brutal deaths that anyone could imagine. Hell, we were the ones that were killing people for no other reason than to get back home. And it wasn't even that. We saw creatures that looked like they had crawled out of our nightmares. That mutt had nearly killed me and I was sure that if I somehow survived this, those glowing green eyes would haunt me for the rest of my life. The dying eyes of the District 9 female and District 7 male would haunt me too. And then there was the pleading of the District 8 girl that still rang in my ears. I had killed her after she had begged me to help her. What kind of person did that?

I couldn't even imagine what Katniss, Prim, and Gale thought of me. Prim had always prided me on the fact that I was so good with people, but I bet that she was eating her words right now. I had made a complete change from the girl that had saved another from being whipped for stealing food. That girl was long gone. I was something terrible now. What kind of people person mercilessly killed three kids that were doing nothing more than trying to survive? Then there was Katniss. She had always laughed and told me that I would never fall in love because I hated romance too much. She had told me though that when the day came that I did fall in love, it would be with the wrong person. I had laughed her off at the time and told her that she was so full of herself, but she was right.

For some reason, I had fallen stupidly for Cato. He was exactly the kind of guy that I would have been smart to avoid from the beginning. I had tried, but it had been the both of us. We had kept coming back to each other for more well after we knew that it was foolish to continue. I wasn't sure if it was love or not that was between Cato and I, but I knew that we both had feelings that we couldn't deny. There was no way that I could kill Cato, but I would never say that out loud. If I had any Sponsor's at all, I would lose them the moment that I admitted that. They wanted a killing machine, not someone that would be too afraid to kill another Tribute. In the back of my mind I was wondering if Cato was thinking about me as much as I thought about him, but I was sure that he was only focused on winning. He was the smarter of us.

Cato was the wrong person to fall for, but he was the only male that I had ever been close to besides Gale. And as much as I loved the boy back home, he just wasn't for me. I would be foolish to pass him up, but I just couldn't see myself living with him for the rest of my life. I mean, I always wanted him to be with me, until the day that we died, but I couldn't be married to him. Maybe Katniss would be with him. She wasn't one for love either, but I saw the look in her eyes when she looked at him. She may not know it yet but there was no doubt in my mind that she had some undiscovered feelings for him. Hopefully I could get back home to them, I wanted to see the two of them get together. But if I get back home, I lose Cato. Could I handle that? It would be most likely mean that I would have been the one to kill him. Could I live with myself after I did something like that? Probably not. Could he handle himself if he killed me? Probably.

Sighing, I slipped my jacket off of my shoulders and glanced at my torso. No part of me wanted to see what I looked like, but I knew that I had to. I had to see how far the infection had come along. My chest where the wolf mutt had landed was red and inflamed with yellow puss occasionally dripping out of the wounds. My stomach, where the mutt had bit down on me, was also the same bright red and had little white scabs around it, dripping the same yellow puss that my chest was. I twisted slightly to look at the wounds on my back but just as I made any progress I cried out in pain and slumped against the cave wall. Every part of me was screaming to give up or to just lay here and die, but I refused. I would push through the pain. I had to prove to my Sponsors that I was worth saving.

Twisting quickly before I could chicken out, I bit down on my sleeve and cried out. For a few minutes after I had turned I held the wall while my eyes watered at the pain that shot through my back in waves. I felt the scratches on my back tear open once more and my warm blood began to slide down my back. My entire back was bright red and the scabs were a dirty looking white. I sighed deeply at the look of my back. It was clearly in the late stages of infection. There was no way that I would last much longer. I was constantly thirsty and I only had half of my second canteen left. I would have to get water soon, if I even lasted long enough to move on, but I needed to avoid the desert area this time. Maybe there was a water source in the woods area.

Gale had told me once how long that most people with severe infections lasted. They normally lasted about three days after the infection began. This was my second. Time was running out faster than I had anticipated. I thought back to what Atala had said in training. She had told us that most of us would die from natural causes, and I was getting close to proving her point. But I was not going to be a Tribute that someone learned mistakes not to make from, I was going to be a Victor. I had to do something to prove that I was stronger than this, I had to show that I wasn't just going to sit here and wilt away. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my shirt and stuffed it into my pack before grabbing my jacket and throwing it over my shoulders, zipping it up to the neck quickly. I stashed my canteen as well, along with my four pieces of dried meat that I still had. I pushed the pack onto my back and covered my mouth at the pain that radiated through me.

Reaching awkwardly around, I grabbed a small dent in the wall and wrapped my hand tightly around it. I clamped my jaw tightly shut, knowing that this would hurt like hell, but I had to do it. I wasn't going to make any process here if I just sat on my ass. With all of the remaining strength that I could muster, I pulled myself up and stifled a scream that would have alerted every Tribute in the arena as to where I was. I fell against the wall and grit my teeth as tightly together as I could. For a moment I thought that I might actually crack a tooth from how tightly shut my jaws were. The stretching as I stood up had pulled any of the wounds that had closed, back apart. I checked to make sure that the jacket was zipped up before I slowly began my walk out of the cave. I didn't know if I was going to head to the river tonight or not, but I needed to get moving before the Gamemakers set a killer bird or something on me. That just would have been the icing on top of the cake for these Games.

Stumbling slightly, I made my way out into the fresh air. It felt wonderful to feel the sun on my face again, but I was terrified that it was the last day that I would ever see the sun. But I couldn't afford to think like that, I would make it, I would live. The only thing that I could think to do was head towards the Cornucopia. I had seen lots of blueberries right along the woods that surrounded the area. If I could grab some of the berries I would be able to save the dried meat and fruit that I wanted to leave until last. I made a game plan and headed off in the direction that the Cornucopia laid in. I knew that it would take me about an hour to get to the Cornucopia, so it would be about midday when I got there. Perhaps there would even be some spare things in the mouth that is if the Career's hadn't gotten to it yet. But raiding the Cornucopia was normally the first thing that the Career's would do. It was almost useless to try. But it was the only plan that I had. And who knows, maybe I would get lucky today.

My trip to the Cornucopia seemed like it would take forever, but it had actually gone surprisingly quickly. I saw the break in the trees where the Cornucopia laid and took a deep breath. I was here. I would have to move fast once I got to the edge of the woods, there was no coverage by the Cornucopia and I could easily get hit with a spear or a knife. But just as I popped my head through the opening of the trees I nearly screamed. Why was nothing going my way?! The Careers were gathered around the Cornucopia and they had stock piled their food and weapons around the middle of it. I saw a tube with a red cross on it and I nearly ran out from behind my tree right then and there. It would be a death sentence, but at least it would be quick. I needed that damn medicine and they weren't even using it. It was just sitting there for the taking.

All of the Career's seemed to be busy doing something and I followed their movements. Coral was standing off at the edge of the Cornucopia, a spear in hand. I had figured that she would do well with either that or the bow. It looked like she was guarding the area and I sighed. There was no way that I could get to that tube with her watching. I would die before I even hit the platforms that still sat in the grass. Glimmer was still holding tightly to the bow that she couldn't use properly and was trying to look serious. I looked away from the two girls and found myself staring at Marvel. He was holding his spear as well and was talking with Cato. The pair were smiling and laughing together and I couldn't help but smile myself. They looked like normal human beings right now, not two people that would end up having to fight to the death against each other.

To their right was Clove, who was sitting on the ground sharpening her knife with a whetstone similar to my own. She sharpened the knife time after time for what seemed like forever, but she never stopped striking the knife. I could tell that by now if you just poked the top of her knife it would cut you. I made a mental note to keep out of throwing distance of her. Peeta was sitting next to her and he was staring at his hands, his sword at his feet. I glared at him and quickly looked away. Just the sight of him made me sick. Knowing that he was helping them because he wanted to save his own life. I would have never done something like that to him.

Glancing away I saw that there was another figure who was bent over a large, black object. He was tiny so I figured that he wasn't strong, so he had to be here for something. I stared at the boy for a moment before he looked up and the recognition hit me. It was the District 3 boy, Ethan. What the hell was he doing? Cato patted Marvel on the shoulder before he walked over to the boy and leaned down with him, checking his work. Ethan said something to Cato before the larger Tribute nodded and took a step back, watching Ethan work. I watched the boy work for a while too, trying to figure out what he was doing. Perhaps I would get something out of watching the Career's. If nothing else I might be able to figure out what their plan was.

I must have been watching the Career's for at least half an hour before I realized what it was that Ethan was working on. There were huge piles of dirt that were thrown up all over the place and there were more of the black metal boxes sitting around. It was the mines. It was the bomb that the Gamemakers planted under the plates that we jumped off of on the first day. But what was he doing with it? The panel was cracked open and my eyes shot open wide. He was arming the bomb.

Once the Tributes had jumped off of their platform and the countdown had hit zero the bombs were disarmed in case another Tribute walked over them during the Games. Bombs were planted all over the arena, but none of them were ever armed unless the Gamemakers felt the need to arm it. I wasn't surprised that Ethan was able to do something like that. After all, he was from District 3. They were known for technology, they made everything that the Capitol people used every day. I knew that the people in District 3 were some of the smartest in Panem. One of their Victor's, Beetee Latier, had won his Games by collecting electronic supplies that had been left at the Cornucopia after the Bloodbath and later in his Games he had electrocuted the final six competitors. That had made him the Victor from that year. He wasn't well liked by the Capitol because of the way that he won, but I had always respected him. I thought that the way he won was smart, and he never had any real blood on his hands. He had won his Games valiantly.

I watched as Ethan stood and called Cato over. The boy watched as the leader of the Career pack nodded at him and called Marvel over to bury the explosive one last time. There was a rustle of the bushes to my left and I looked over, watching as Finch broke the wood line and ran out of the woods, straight to the Cornucopia. I wanted to run and grab Finch to pull her back, but I quickly realized that the girl knew what she was doing. She dashed into the middle of the Career's stash, and as they were all looking away from the girl when she ran over, they never spotted her. I smiled brightly as she sprinted up to the Cornucopia and grabbed an apple before turning and running back through the woods. She spotted me and her eyes widened, but I only nodded at her to keep running. I wasn't going to hurt her. She could probably outrun me right now anyways. She nodded her thanks to me and took off in a sprint, quickly disappearing from sight.

I turned my head back to the Cornucopia and watched once more. The Career's all grabbed a small box out of the pile and broke it open. Inside there was a frozen chicken that the Career's grabbed and they ordered Peeta to start a fire. My mouth watered at the sight of the food, but I stayed hidden. I would have run out and grabbed something, but they were all too close to where I was hiding for me to run up. I watched them and smiled as they all laughed together, having fun like normal people would be doing. But the peace could only last so long. Glimmer leaned forward with her leg and smirked. "So what do you think that bitch is doing right now?" She sneered. I growled deeply in my throat, knowing that she was talking about me.

Cato dropped his plate and stood, walked up to her and grabbed her by the collar. She jumped and my breath caught in my throat. "What the hell did you say?" He sneered back at her. She struggled to find her words, but it didn't matter. Cato already knew what he was going to say. "I thought that we had this conversation yesterday. You are not going to touch her. None of you are," he hissed as he looked around at the rest of the Career group. "She's mine. And if you lay a hand on her, I'll rip your throat out," he told her before letting go of her carelessly and throwing her onto the ground.

She yelped as she fell and looked up at him with fear in her eyes. Without another word she slunk back into her seat and slowly chewed on what remained of her chicken. He rolled his eyes at her and took a seat on the log that he had stood up from. I almost laughed at the sight of Glimmer being put in her place, but I remained silent. I backed away from the Cornucopia and stepped on a small twig. I immediately closed my eyes, knowing that I had fucked up. Cato's eyes shot up and I nearly screamed. His eyes were scanning the woods for what had made the noise and I took off back to the cave that I had come from before he could spot me. If he caught up to me it wouldn't be good. I sighed as I ran back away from the area. Not much had come from that trip but at least I knew not to get too close to the Cornucopia for now.

I couldn't run for long before the wounds on my back and torso began to ache. I stopped and caught my breath, my rib aching with each breathe that I took. Ever since I had hit the rocks any time that I breathed deeply my chest would tighten. Once I had pulled myself together I took a look around. I must have been close to the cave by now and I knew that the sun would be setting in the next hour or so, with still no deaths for the day. Sighing, I stepped over a fallen log and nearly dropped to my knees at the pain that was shooting through my back with every little movement that I made. God, it was too late for me. At this rate, I would be dead by morning if I wasn't sent a Sponsor package in the next few hours.

Turning past a second tree, I saw the cave that I had come from and I sighed. Home sweet home... I took my backpack off and held it in my hands as I made my way over the rocks, but just as I was about to slide into the opening, a hand caught me and threw me back over the rocks. I dropped my pack as I hit the ground roughly and rolled, my back searing in pain as I tumbled roughly to the ground. I hit against the grass and rolled onto my side. I put my hands to the ground and pulled myself into a sit up position, knowing that I needed to get up, but just as I did I saw that there was blood that was already running down my hands and dripping onto the grass. Oh God, I'd bleed out before this fight was over.

The same person that had knocked me off the grass grabbed me and I hissed in pain as they grabbed my hair, lifting my face to the sky. I looked up at him as my eyes rolled back in my head. They slapped me roughly on my face and I shot back up. There was a large boy in front of me, probably eighteen as well. He had a nasty sneer on his face as he lifted me up and threw me back into a tree. I cried out as my back hit the tree and I felt my skin tear apart as he approached me. The boy grabbed my neck and lifted me up, tightening his hold on my throat for just a moment before losing his grip. He held a knife against my throat and I gulped deeply. For a moment I didn't realize who he was, but as I took a better look at his face I knew who he was. It was the District 8 male that I had picked out when I had watched the Reaping's. He had looked cruel then and he looked ever more so now. Jason, I was pretty sure that his name was.

"Well if it isn't Little Miss Perfect. What's the matter, princess? You don't look so hot right now. Something get you?" I tried to wrestle out of his grip but most of my remaining strength was failing me. He merely laughed at me and pinned his body against mine, trapping me against the tree. "Stop struggling. I saw the two that failed to kill you. Well I won't be one. You know, I think I'll skin you first," he told me with a vicious smirk. "Oh, I can bring your carcass to Cato. I would just love to see the look on his face when he realizes someone else killed his precious Tribute." He laughed and I kicked him in the stomach. He coughed for a moment and sputtered. But I had only made him angry. He pulled his arm back and slapped me across the face. My head went spinning and I saw stars. "Or maybe they'll send it back home. The little girl can mount you over her bed," he told me with a smirk.

My eyes went red at his mention of Prim and all civility that I had remaining went flying out the window. I shoved him back and managed to pull my arm free. Without stopping, I jammed my elbow into his throat and he flew back from me, coughing and trying to regain his breath. While he tried to regain his normal breathing, I ran up to the boy and threw a punch into his face. He groaned and covered his nose where a sickly crunch had sounded. I had broken his nose and I hoped that it had hurt. He stumbled back once more and I tried to advance on him, but just as I got within striking distance once more, he pounced on me and I fell to the ground.

Tripping over myself I hit the ground roughly and coughed. My back sent spikes of pain through my body and I cried out at the waves of pain that flooded through me. Jason pulled out a knife and I panicked, rolling away from him, but I wasn't fast enough. He threw himself onto me, his body dragging at the wounds that were on my stomach. I cried out in pain once more, but he merely punched me in my face to silence my cries. Time after time I tried to throw him off of me and continuously I thrashed my arms around. But nothing worked. He threw the knife down and it pierced my leg. I screamed loudly at the invasion of the knife, but he only laughed at the pain it was causing me. At least it took the focus off of my back.

My eyes were watering but I could still see as he raised a knife at me and pointed it down to my chest with a manic smile spread over his face. I tried to throw his arms away from me, but he grabbed them and pushed them under his legs. I was about to go for the dirty shot and hit him in the groin as a last ditch effort, but once he raised his arm and locked his smile on me, his mouth began to run red. I stared at him in shock for a moment before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell.

Quickly, I backed away from him, hoping that the knife would miss me. As he fell, the knife slipped out of his hand and clattered to the ground. I stared at him for a moment in shock before it dawned on me what had happened. Someone had killed him. My eyes shot to the air as I debated back and forth for a while who it could be, and if they would try to kill me now. My breath came out in short gasps, but when I realized who it was, I relaxed. Not visibly though, I was still tense and terrified. I had been too close to death. I would have been dead had he not saved me. "Relax Aspen, I'm not here to kill you. Yet," Cato told me with a devious grin. He was holding his bloody sword, swinging it slightly. He pulled Jason off of me and tossed his body to the side.

The corpse of the District 8 male hit the ground and I grimaced at the sight. He had landed facing me, and his dead eyes seemed to be staring into my soul, accusing me of his death. "Thank you," I told him softly. He nodded at me and leaned down, grabbing the hilt of the knife. I tried to stop him and tell him to leave it in for now, but he didn't listen. Without any countdown he ripped the knife from my leg and I cried out softly, wanting nothing more than to let out a curdling scream.

Cato slipped the knife into his back pocket and leaned down to me, motioning his head, telling me that it was time to go. I tried to stand up, but there was no way that I could now. My entire torso was radiating with pain and my leg was almost useless with the knife having been pulled out too carelessly. For a few moments I tried to lift myself off of the ground, but nothing worked. I just kept falling. For a moment I thought that I would have to crawl to the cave, and I sighed. I was going to bleed out now and I was going to die. "Would you hurry up, 12? I saved your damn life. Don't make me kill you now," Cato scoffed.

Losing my grip on my temper, I turned to Cato and gave him the nastiest look that I could muster. "I can't, you asshole! How about some help! Unlike you I've been through some real shit these last few days!" I yelled at the boy.

The look that Cato gave me told me that no one had ever dared speak to him like that ever before. But I didn't care if he killed me for the way that I had spoken to him. I needed to get the hell out of here. He scoffed at me and walked over to me. I raised my hand to shoo him away but he only harshly slapped my hand away from his face. He grabbed the tops of my shoulders and I grabbed my breath to stop the pain, but it didn't work. He grabbed me under my knees next and just as I was about to ask him what he was doing, he picked me up. I panicked slightly and quickly wrapped my arms around his neck, shoving his face as he laughed at me.

Using the hand that was under my knee, he grabbed the pack and held it as he made his way over to my cave. He dropped me at the entrance carefully and helped me slide in. I hit the floor of the cave and cried out as the pain once more shot through me. I had broken out into a nasty sweat too, and I knew that it was the fever starting to kick in. I didn't have much time left. Cato slid into the cave a moment later and grabbed my hand. "I know that just a simple stab wound to your leg wouldn't hurt you that much. You'd still be able to move. So tell me. What happened?" He asked me.

Unable to physically tell him what happened, I merely unzipped my jacket and scoffed as his eyebrows raised and his steady face spread into a smirk. His eyes dropped to my cleavage and had I felt better, I would have punched him. But instead I shed the jacket and turned so that Cato could see me fully. His eyes widened as he saw the marks that were all over my body. I looked horrible and felt even worse with the thin sweat breaking out over my forehead. Cato ran his hand above my wounds and I could see a faint hint of worry buried deep down. Was he afraid that he wouldn't get to kill me? "What happened?" He asked me so quietly that I hadn't even thought he had said anything for a moment.

Cato pulled me into his lap so that I was facing my side to him so that he could look completely over me. His hand traced down my arm leaving a thin trail of goosebumps. I coughed as grunted as my back split once more and warm blood began to spill down my back. Cato brushed my hair back off of my face as he stood and started a fire in the small pit that I had made here two days ago when I had had nothing else to do. I watched as he messed around with the small sticks that I had collected and he fought to start the fire.

He turned back to me as embers started to spark and I sighed, feeling the tightness begin in my chest once more. That damn mutt had probably cracked one of my ribs. "I was just trying to get water. I heard you when you were all talking about the stream in the desert area. I went too late and the Capitol set a mutt on me. A stupid mutt. It was a wolf. Seven feet tall, glowing green eyes, patchy white fur with scars, and sharp claws and teeth," I told Cato.

He dropped the sticks that he was working with and left the fire. I sunk into the warmth of the fire and grimaced. Despite the fact that I was dripping in sweat, I was freezing. Cato grabbed me and looked over my wounds once more. He pushed my hair back once more and he gazed into my foggy eyes. His were crystal clear and I smiled at the color of them. They were gorgeous. You would never know that he was a brutal killer. "Damn that thing got you good," he told me and I laughed lightly.

"Yeah it did. It's all your fault. If you hadn't have said anything I would have never gone there," I told him, poking him on the chest. He smiled at me and wiped the sweat from my hairline. "I never meant to get anywhere near a mutt. I just wanted to come here, win, and go home. But now that won't be happening. Not for me at least," I told him. He started to shake his head but I weakly held up a hand to stop him. "Cato, this is the end for me. The infection is setting in to its third day. I won't live past noon tomorrow. We both know that. You know it's my birthday in three days," I told him, laughing.

He shook his head at me and tightened his grip on me. My face contorted in pain and he loosened his grip. "Then I'll make sure to make it. Now I don't think so. There's medicine back at the Cornucopia. I can grab you some. It will-" Cato started to stand up but I grabbed his hand and forced him to sit back down next to me.

I shook my head at him gently and smiled at him. At least I would see that he could care once before I died. "I've seen the medicine at the Career camp. It isn't enough. It might have been the first day but we're too far along. I need something from a Capitol Sponsor and there's no way that I'm getting anything any time soon. Listen. I want you to do something for me, OK?" I asked him and he nodded begrudgingly. "Win. Win because I couldn't. And when you go on the Victory Tour in six months I want you to give something to Prim for me," I told him. I leaned over slightly and hissed in pain. But I grabbed my jacket and slipped off the Mockingjay pin. I placed it in Cato's hand and forced him to close his fist. "Give it to her and tell her that it's to protect her. Please," I begged him.

Without leaving any room for argument I grabbed the pin out of his hands and placed it on his jacket, pinning it tightly and patting the pin down lightly. If I couldn't win, I wanted Cato to. I wanted him to see that there was a life outside of these Games. More than training and more than just killing people who deserved to live. He glanced at the pin for a moment before I began to slip and he caught me. I could feel it. The infection was so bad that it was starting to shut down my internal organs. "I don't think so 12. You aren't dying. Not today and certainly not from a damn infection. If you die from anything it'll be from me," he told me. I began to question what he was doing before he leaned into me and I held a hand up. I might be dying but that did not mean that he was allowed to kiss me.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at him.

He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me into him, ignoring my grunt of pain. "Look you want that medicine?" He asked me and I nodded slowly. "Then follow my lead," he told me. I was about to ask him what that meant when he pulled me into him.

His lips met mine and I was stunned. The pain all melted away and suddenly we weren't in the Games. We were just two kids hiding out in some cave, showing that they cared for one another. His fingers tangled in my hair and I tipped my head back, letting him kiss me deeper. I didn't know if it was just good acting or if he was really enjoying the kiss, but he seemed actually happy. I knew that I should have been uncomfortable with the thought of him kissing me while I wasn't wearing a shirt, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter that I had sworn to kill him, and it didn't matter that everyone I knew would be ashamed of me right now. It just mattered that despite how many times I tried to deny it, I had feelings for Cato. The fire lit the cave romantically and I smiled into the kiss. The two of us remained locked like that for what felt like forever before I heard a small beeping.

Even though it killed me to end the kiss, I broke away knowing that I had a Sponsor package. I just prayed that it was medicine. Cato looked at me and smirked as if to tell me that he told me so. I rolled my eyes and shooed him off to go grab the package. He dipped out of the cave and returned a moment later with the package in his hand. He twisted the lid off and pulled a small vial out. It was medicine but it was medicine that I had never seen before. He dug around the pack for a while longer before he grabbed a small piece of a paper and handed it to me. I grabbed the note and opened it. He's trying, but I'm more likeable. Nice kiss by the way -F. I smiled at the note that Finnick had left me and said a quick thank you to the sky.

Cato came behind me and I heard the pop release the cork of the bottle. I felt the glass tip hit my back and I jumped, waiting for the medicine. The moment that it hit me though, I wished that I had never gotten the medicine. It stung worse than anything that I had ever felt and I cried out loudly. "Shut up, 12," Cato told me and I whipped around to glare at him. He forced my head back and rubbed it into the three long cuts down my back. He walked over in front of me and wiped down my chest. I lowered my face and blushed as he did and Cato laughed, knowing that it was getting to me. He rubbed the medicine over my stomach as well and the pain I realized was already beginning to subside.

He tore a slightly bigger hole in my pants and I sighed as he poured the medicine into the stab wound. Cato corked up the medicine vial and placed it into my bag. There was a tiny bit left in case I took another bad blow. Cato stood and looked like he was making to leave my cave before I called him back. "Hey Hadley. Thanks for that. You saved my life. But I'll still be wanting my pin back," I told him and held my hand out. I was wrapping the rest of the gauze that I had around my torso, deciding to leave the rest of my clothes off. I would just lie under the blanket as I was still boiling hot.

Smirking, Cato stamped out the fire and shook his head. "No can do, 12. I'll get it back to you on your birthday. It might give you a little better incentive to stay alive. You should be feeling better in the morning. Get some rest. I'll be seeing you soon," he told me with a wink. I was about to tell him not to come by on my birthday, but it was too late.

He disappeared out of my cave and I sighed. I grabbed the blanket that was lying next to me and fluffed it out, throwing it over me. I heard the Panem anthem playing outside but I ignored it. I knew the face that it would show tonight. And I never wanted to see that face again. I sighed and settled into the rocks. Pain was still shooting through me but it had dulled significantly. I hoped that by tomorrow morning I would be ready to move on. I was sick of feeling so useless.

I giggled slightly as I thought about today. I had liked the kiss, but I was still trying to convince myself that it had only been because I was dying. Was that really why or had I just enjoyed the kiss period? I shook my head at myself and closed my eyes. I was too drained to be thinking about things like that. I would see him soon anyways to get my pin back and then that would be the last time that I would see him. I swore it to myself that I wouldn't see him again after that. It would only be me, myself, and I. And if I saw him again, it would be at the Death Match and I would kill him.

Yawning quietly, I slipped into a lifelike dream where I was surrounded by the warm glow of a fire, the soft but scarred hands of a fighter, and I was laying in the arms of a man with brilliant blue eyes.


	12. Chapter Twelve

In The Arena Control Room...

The Gamemakers were all watching over the arena closely. It was still early in the morning and that meant that very little had to be done just yet. They hadn't even bothered to rise the sun to alert the Tributes to a new day. Most of the Gamemakers found themselves grateful for the change in pace. Everything had been happening so fast since the beginning of the Games. The last three days had slowed down slightly as the Capitol enjoyed the slower points of the Games. Where they got to see who the Tributes really were and exactly what their personalities were like.

It didn't help that Aspen Antaeus and Cato Hadley had seen each other again. The Gamemakers could practically hear the uproar that echoed around the Capitol when Cato had saved her from the boy from District 8, whom no one had particularly liked anyways. The happiness had quickly died when the pair had only remained together for so long before Cato had left her again. It was not something that had gone over well. Everyone wanted to see them together. Everyone had really wanted to see more of Aspen.

The Gamemakers were all grateful that Cato and Aspen had been able to maintain their dignity during their time together. Cato had managed to keep his hands to himself - although his eyes had definitely wandered. They might have dipped a little too low from time to time but Aspen always corrected him. The Gamemakers hadn't bothered blurring her chest - as the Capitol was used to seeing bare Tributes while they bathed - and many had laughed when she'd questioned whether or not they would. The only thing they did to preserve the Tributes was turning the cameras away while they relieved themselves.

While Seneca Crane wanted to be rewinding the Games to watch his favorite Tribute in her cave again he was instead pacing back and forth. There were a number of other things that he had to worry about. He would be able to watch her bare form in the save whenever he wanted to once the problems were solved. The main problem right now was that President Snow was going to be here any minute and Aspen Antaeus was still alive. He wouldn't be happy about that, which meant that none of the Gamemakers would be happy either.

Ever since the party that he had hosted, President Snow had been determined to kill Aspen during the Games. It had almost worked. But that wasn't what Seneca Crane - or pretty much anyone else - wanted. Aspen may have been the District 12 Tribute but she was one of the most loved of the Tributes this year. In fact, she was pretty much tied for the favorite Tribute with the District 2 male, Cato Hadley. The people of the Capitol were dying to see the two of them together but Seneca had no idea what to do.

He was being pulled in every direction. President Snow wanted Aspen dead before she hit her birthday in two days. The leader of Panem was constantly telling Seneca to do anything possible to ensure that she would die. That was why he had told Seneca to have to sun set early and loose the mutt on her. No one had wanted to be anywhere near the President when he had realized that Aspen had lived. He had thought that the girl would be done for when the infection had been in its late stages but the kiss with Cato had saved her life.

After that Sponsors had been lined up out the door of the Sponsor Package Center to make sure that she lived to see the next day. The President had been so livid that she hadn't died that Seneca had thought that Snow would kill every single one of the Gamemakers that had failed to kill her. At this point Seneca had done everything possible to kill her short of sending a firestorm her way. And he really didn't want to have to do that. He wasn't overly fond of them. The burns were painful, which was fun to watch, but medicine could easily solve them.

It was the one reason that Seneca hadn't started a firestorm right outside of Aspen's cave over the past few days. He didn't want to do that. No one else wanted to do that. So far everyone wanted something else. And now there were the people of the Capitol. Seneca had almost forgotten that what they wanted would also have a slight effect on the outcome. They were rooting for her to end up with Cato. Every day there were calls coming from all over the Capitol, demanding that if Aspen and Cato were the last two Tributes alive that they should both be allowed to live.

It was almost comical seeing how many people wanted the couple together. They wanted them together more than anyone else. No one in the Capitol reality shows and no one from the wealthy families. They meant nothing compared to Cato Hadley and Aspen Antaeus. They were the people that were destined to be together. Seneca could tell each time that they spoke to each other. They were falling in love and everyone but the two of them could see it. Seneca had known that a possible romance in the Games would be a big deal but he had never expected that it would be the main part of the Games.

People still wanted the bloodshed that the Games normally brought but now people would rather see Aspen and Cato together. Yesterday when Cato had been helping Aspen with the medicine one of the Gamemakers had suggested that they actually let the two live. They wanted to make an announcement in the arena that two would be allowed to live as long as one was male and the other was female. It would drive Tributes together and make the fights even bloodier. Most of the Gamemakers had agreed to the idea and they had then brought it up to President Snow last night.

Typically the President was calm and relatively soft-spoken but that had been the one time that Seneca had ever seen him completely lose himself. He had screamed at the Gamemakers for nearly an hour before they had been able to calm him down. Once they had, President Snow had threatened to kill them all if they did anything of the sorts before storming out of the room. Needless to say there hadn't been much chatting last night. No one had seen him since but the President would probably be making an appearance soon.

Everyone was thinking about something different for the Tribute but no one cared what Seneca Crane thought. That was the thing about being Head Gamemaker. They were technically your Games but that really meant that they were yours to do what everyone else wanted with. He was only supposed to do what he was told, what would make the best Games, but the best Games that he could think of would probably get him killed. In fact he knew that they would. Seneca wanted Aspen to live but President Snow was determined to make sure she died.

Some piece of him could see why President Snow wanted Aspen to die at some point during the Games. It would spike interest to see what happened with Cato. It was assumed that he would be so outraged with her death that he would go on a bloody killing spree to avenge her. He would win, just like he was supposed to, and ratings would spike because of the fights. It was how the Games were supposed to go. It was how everyone had originally expected it to go. Cato was supposed to win and Aspen was supposed to die.

But that wasn't what he wanted. The last thing that Seneca wanted was for Aspen to die. Seneca had never been in charge of the arena before but he had grown up watching the Games. There had been some amazing Tributes and many that he had rooted for. He had always been hoping that he would have a Tribute like that when the time came that he could have his own Games. Now he had them and he did have some of the Tributes that he'd always wanted. But he also had Aspen Antaeus.

There had never been a Tribute like Aspen. She was brash, stubborn, and bold. But she was also kind, loving, and beautiful. He couldn't deny that there were other pretty Tributes that year too, like Glimmer and Coral. But something about Aspen was different. She didn't care what she looked like. All she wanted was to get back to her home. She wanted to keep herself together in her time in the arena. Seneca respected that. He had known from the beginning that she was a contender and that was what had drawn him to her. He actually found himself enjoying watching her. She would make a good Victor.

It was no secret that Gamemakers occasionally got a little close to certain Victors. It actually happened frequently. Not quite as frequently as when Sponsors or normal Capitol citizens would get involved with them but it definitely happened. All Seneca knew was that it was never the Head Gamemaker that got involved with them. He knew that it would be a scandal if he somehow got tangled up with Aspen but he was willing to risk it. After all the Capitol lived on scandal.

For some reason he was extremely attracted to the Tribute. He hoped that if she won he would be allowed to keep her close. It was something that happened more often than not with the attractive Victors. They were either put up for auction to spend nights with the people of the Capitol, or if the Gamemakers paid enough, they would get to keep the Victors to themselves. After all it wouldn't be that odd if he did decide to take her in. They weren't that far apart in age anyways. Only about ten years. And these Games would only make her about ten years older. Personality wise, that was.

Seneca watched as the Gamemakers that surrounded him were turning the dials that affected everything in the arena. It was time to change from nighttime to daytime. The Tributes were still sleeping and it was time to wake them up. It wouldn't be long before the Capitol citizens started getting bored by watching the Tributes sleep. The Gamemakers were dialing up the temperature as the sun rose and they were turning the lights up in the arena. It was definitely past time to wake them up.

It was eight in the morning in the Capitol and Seneca was exhausted. He had been up all night watching over the arena, making sure that everything was perfect. Being the Head Gamemaker was easy for most of the year until the Games actually rolled around. It was only theoretical up until it was time for the Games. The doors to the Arena Control Room slid open and Seneca looked up. President Snow strolled calmly into the room and Seneca's throat went dry. He knew that despite the calm look on the President's face right now he was not happy. Seneca turned back to the President and nodded.

The older man walked up the runway to where Seneca Crane stood. "Good morning, President Snow," Seneca greeted.

Seneca shook the man's hand in greeting and gave him the best smile that he could muster. "Good morning, Seneca. Would you mind if I borrowed you for a moment?" he asked.

Seneca knew that it was an order, despite the fact that President Snow had said it as a question. "Of course," Seneca said slowly.

He turned back to the screens, checking on the Tributes, and the President laughed his cruel laugh. "I think your precious Tribute will be fine. None of them are even awake yet. Perhaps they aren't ready to face the day," President Snow said.

"Yes," Seneca said absentmindedly.

"Come now, Seneca. I would like to speak with you," President Snow said, smiling at Seneca.

The Head Gamemaker turned to his second in command, Artus, and the blonde haired man nodded. He walked to the central pad where Seneca normally stood and he began to type something into the console. It didn't bother Seneca to leave the Control Room for a few minutes. He actually reveled in it. It would be the first time that he had left in the week since the Games had started. The Gamemakers rarely slept. Seneca only left to the attached chambers to sleep for two or three hours a night.

Seneca turned back and watched as President Snow strode out of the room. He followed the older man and stepped out of the Control Room. The doors slid closed behind them and Seneca nodded to the Peacekeepers, glad that he wasn't alone with the President. But just like clockwork the President made a small motion to the Peacekeepers and the guards left the hallway. It was almost like a bad joke. Seneca was now left alone with the President and he smiled nervously.

President Snow took in a deep breath and Seneca held his. "Seneca. You're a smart man, so tell me. Why have I brought you out here?" the older man asked.

Seneca knew it was a trick question. "For my mistake," Seneca half-mumbled.

"Correct. You know what I want to see out of these Games. The Tribute that deserves to win should win. But he's too distracted by a certain other."

"Aspen Antaeus."

"Yes. Another Tribute that I know you have eyes for," President Snow told Seneca with a smirk. Seneca's heart leaped into his throat. He stayed silent. "Now... We were almost rid of her but you let her be saved."

For a moment Seneca thought that he would be shot where he stood. President Snow was right. He had been desperately hoping that the President wouldn't call him out on his obvious mistake. Seneca could have easily denied Aspen the medicine and she would have been dead by now. It would have been so easy to keep the gift from entering the arena. The Sponsor gifts all went past a screening from the Gamemakers to ensure that the gifts were allowed to be in the arena. Most of the time it was to stop illegal information from being passed to Tributes in the arena.

But there were also a number of times that the gifts were dangerous to the Tributes. Sponsors had tried to send Tributes poisoned food before to kill them, especially if they feared that the Tribute would beat the other Tribute that they were rooting for. In the past five years that Seneca had been working at the Arena Control Room they had intercepted at least thirty poisoned gifts. They weren't technically illegal, but they never let the packages through. It was boring to watch a Tribute die from a poisoned meal.

The most common items that the Gamemakers sent through to the Tributes were food, water, and medicine. There were hefty prices to send a Sponsor gift - even something as small as a canteen of water - so the gifts were rarely something cheap. No one wanted to spend the money to send the gift unless it was something that the Tribute desperately needed. That was Aspen's case. Her medicine was some of the most expensive that the Capitol had. Seneca knew that next time she was injured no one would hesitate. They knew that she was in love with Cato. That was what they'd been waiting for.

She had a long line of Sponsors. Seneca was curious if someone would send her a bow. There were the occasional weapons that were sent. When Seneca had seen the medicine come through for Aspen after the kiss with Cato he hadn't even thought twice. He had sent it through a quick screen and had then sent it off. He shouldn't have been so hasty. President Snow now knew without a doubt that Seneca was rooting for Aspen. He - and every other person with direct involvement in the Games - wasn't allowed to show favorites. But everyone had the Tributes that they were rooting for. They just kept it a secret.

"Sir," Seneca began, choosing his words carefully. "It's incredibly rare for the Gamemakers to deny a dying Tribute medicine that was sent. Especially if the medicine was as expensive as this gift was."

Aspen's medicine was probably the most expensive that the Capitol had. It was only supposed to be used if the person was in dire circumstances. Which Aspen had been in. "That is true," President Snow said carelessly.

"The people would have been in outrage," Seneca added slowly.

The hallway went silent for a moment and Seneca waited with baited breath to see what his superior would say. President Snow paced shortly for a while before he finally nodded. "We have an issue here, Seneca. Everyone is torn. The people want our District 12 girl alive. I want her dead. So what to do?" he asked rhetorically. "I spent all night thinking about it, long and hard. Seneca. Why do you think we have a winner?"

Seneca was thrown. He'd never had President Snow ask a question like that before. "What do you mean?" Seneca asked dumbly.

"I mean… Why do we have a winner? I mean if we just wanted to intimidate the Districts, why not round up twenty-four of them at random and execute them all at once? Be a lot faster," President Snow said. Seneca was still staring blankly. He was lost. "Hope."

"Hope?" Seneca repeated.

"Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective. A lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine as long as it's contained."

Spark. The Girl on Fire. This was President Snow's warning towards him for Aspen. "So..." Seneca prompted.

President Snow looked straight at Seneca. "So contain it," he warned harshly.

"Right," Seneca gulped.

President Snow nodded contently. "There are many ways to contain it. I figured one out this morning. Containment is the same as complacent. Have you ever heard the saying if you can't beat them, join them?" he asked.

Seneca nodded slowly. "Yes, sir," Seneca said.

"I thought about what the young man suggested yesterday. Letting the both of them live. I thought about it for a while and I realized that if they live, I can work with that," President Snow said with a smirk.

Seneca knew that it wasn't just as black and white as that. Snow was thinking about something else, but he clearly wasn't ready to let Seneca know yet. "Sir?" Seneca asked, shocked.

"You make sure that no more mutts are set on her. We can't do anything about the other Tributes. If she lives, she lives. If she dies, she dies. I have plans in store for the both of them, but for now let them be happy. Let them forget what they're here for. It will only make the ending better," Snow said slowly.

Seneca nodded and waited for President Snow to dismiss him but when nothing was said Seneca shifted uncomfortably. "Is there anything else, sir?" Seneca asked.

A devilish smirk crossed over President Snow's face, like he knew the winning move in a game of chess. "Seneca, this is what I enjoy about you. You're such a loyal soldier. They make the best men. It's why I made you the Head Gamemaker after our last one," he said.

There was a dark smile on President Snow's face. Seneca knew that the last Head Gamemaker had been killed by President Snow when the Victor had been a disliked boy from District 11, not one of the more popular Careers. The Head Gamemaker hadn't been able to stop the boy from winning and ratings of the Games had dropped after. President Snow had had the woman killed off immediately and had named Seneca as the new Head Gamemaker the next day.

"I trust that you will follow my plan, just as I say. You will do that, won't you?" The President asked, not really asking at all.

Seneca nodded and President Snow smiled. "Of course, sir," Seneca said.

"Good. I'll return soon to check on the Tributes. Do take care of them. You may go," Snow said.

"Thank you, sir."

Numb from the conversation, Seneca walked back into the Control Room, completely stunned. At least he wasn't dead. But if he didn't do something about Aspen he was sure that would be killed. The question was what he was supposed to do. Whatever it was that President Snow was planning, it wasn't going to be good. Nothing good ever came from when the President got an idea in the Games. As the door slid closed behind him, Seneca dismissed Artus from his stand and he took his spot in the center of the room. For nearly two hours he watched as Tribute after Tribute awoke.

It was nearing ten in the morning and most of the Tributes were preparing for their days. Seneca would have to start making noise in the arena soon to wake up the rest of the Tributes. The Capitol people were all awake and ready for another day. The only Tributes that remained asleep were Glimmer, Rue, and Aspen. But just as Seneca was passing by her screen she began to stir. While all of the other Gamemakers were scanning over the Tributes and altering the arena for the daytime, Seneca kept his eyes locked on the slowly awakening Tribute.

In The Arena...

Yawning deeply from the long night's sleep I rolled slightly and closed my eyes tightly. I was waiting for the searing pain from the infection to pass through me. But all that I felt was a small throbbing in my back. It almost made me smile. It was nothing compared to the agonizing pain that I had been in yesterday. Smiling at the obvious fact that I was going to live I pulled myself off of the ground and glanced outside of the cave. It looked like it was about midday and I knew that I should be moving on before the Gamemakers decided that I needed a little push.

That was the last thing that I needed right now. The Gamemakers tended to get bored when the Tributes stayed in one place for too long. They would start sending out mutts to get the Tributes to move on their way. All that I needed was a killer bird to slice through my throat or a giant snake to bite my head off. That would have made for a good time. Or maybe a firestorm. The Girl on Fire. Even I might have gotten a little bit of a kick out of that. I smirked to myself and kept moving around. Thankfully they couldn't hear my thoughts. I didn't want to give them any ideas.

I wrapped up my blanket and stuffed it in my bag. I glanced at my water canteen afterwards. I had enough to last me one or two more days before I risked going out for water. I took a small piece of dried fruit and chewed on it for a moment before I realized that I needed to go hunting today. There wasn't much of the dried meat left and now that I was healthy again I needed to get some fresh meat in me. It would help get my protein levels up and that was what I needed right now. If another Tribute came across my path I needed to be able to fight against them and win. Cato wasn't going to be there to save me again.

Grabbing my shirt off of the floor I unwrapped my back and tossed the gauze onto the ground. The first thing that went on was my bra. I was furious that people had seen me shirtless but it wasn't something that I could change. Katniss would have told me to just get over it and remember that I was doing it to live. Prim had probably awkwardly looked away from the television and tried to reason that no one would remember that part. The thought of Gale snapping at everyone to look away made me smile. I was sure that he wanted Cato dead for daring to even look at me while totally topless.

I slipped my shirt back over my head and threw my jacket on over me. It felt so good to have an actual shirt on again. It had only been a few days but it had felt like it was forever. Grinning like an idiot, I ran my hand over my lips and smiled to myself. As much as I hated to admit it that kiss with Cato last night was amazing. Was that what it felt like when you kissed someone that you loved? Fireworks, a giddy happiness, and a tightening of your chest that it felt like you might explode? I certainly hoped not. Because that was everything that I had felt last night and more.

Irritatingly enough the kiss had been everything that I had thought that a real first kiss was supposed to be like. Not surprising, when I thought that I would die, or surprising, when I kind of hated the person that I was kissing. No. Last night was the right kind of first kiss. But even so, we were in a competition where one of us would be dead in another week. But I didn't want to think about that. Dreamily I slipped off to a perfect world where I didn't have to fight against Cato. But I was quickly brought back down to Earth at the loud bang that came from outside of the cave.

It was a cannon. Someone had died. My heart fell to my stomach and I hoped that a face would show in the sky, but nothing came up. Of course not. Not until tonight. It was only a bright sun and a deadly silence. I would have to wait until tonight to find out who it had been. My heart was beating quickly as I was nervous about who the cannon had been for. I knew who I hoped that it wasn't. Rue, Thresh, or even Finch. The humane part of me even hoped that it wasn't Peeta. He may have betrayed me but he had really become my friend in our brief time together. I couldn't just pray that he was dead.

My nerves twisted even more at the thought that cannon was for Cato. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that the thought was totally pointless. I knew that it wasn't. There was no way that the Career was going to die this early in the Games, if at all. But I was still nervous for him. All because of that stupid damned kiss. But I knew in the back of my mind that wasn't why I was nervous for him. Once when I was younger, I was beaten to a bloody pulp because I had spared a small rabbit during hunting class. That was why I was nervous for him. Because he was a human being and a good one.

I hated that I was so afraid for him, but that was what he had done to me. Foolishly I had fallen for Cato Hadley, the monstrous boy from District 2. The boy that I had sworn I would kill. He had gotten under my skin and he had managed to worm his way into my heart. He had made me fall for him in every way. Maybe that was why he had visited me that night on the roof. Maybe it was to mess with my head. But I knew that he was telling me the truth that night. I knew that somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he was falling for me too.

All of a sudden I was overwhelmed by the thought that Cato might be lost, bled white, collected, and in the process of being transported back to the Capitol to be cleaned up, redressed, and shipped in a simple wooden box back to District 2. No longer here. Heading to his home. He was a strong Career. He was one of the strongest ones that I had ever seen before. But I knew the truth. He was still alive and out there somewhere. My thought was just enough to show me only a fraction of the pain that I would feel once he really was dead.

But that wasn't the way that these Games worked. I couldn't fall for him. When the time came that I had to kill him I would have to push all emotion aside. I would have to be ice cold when it came to the Death Match. Just the way that people always were. No friends. Deep down we were all just sacks of meat. It's no different. Those were Gale's words. And he was right. Just because I had adopted a soft spot for Cato didn't mean that I would let him kill me. When it came down to it, he would be the one to go home in a casket.

It was cruel but that was the only way to win these Games. You had to take all emotion out of this. Or else it would drive you mad, just the way that the Morphling's from District 6 had gone. They had won their Games by hiding most of them but the arena had still driven them mad. Now they were in almost a constant drugged state. That was what just being here did to someone. That wasn't going to be me though. I was going to win and I was going to go home. I would probably get a slap in the face from Gale - which I would probably need - but I would make everything that I'm going to do here up to him.

Sighing deeply I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder. I took a knife in hand and shimmied my way out of the cave. The sky was clear and there was a bright sun up in the sky. It all looked so real that it was hard to believe that it wasn't. Picking myself up, I began to trek through the woods, looking for something to hunt. I knew that it would probably be smart to set a few traps but it was too light. Animals and Tributes would be easily able to avoid them. And I had no mud to use to camouflage any of the traps. I would need to be closer to water. Water. I needed more. It was my reminder.

Just as I thought that I felt my foot get snagged on something and I fell awkwardly to the ground. I grunted at the impact, rolling my eyes. I had just managed to save my life and here I was being stupid and clumsy. I glanced down at my foot and nearly laughed. I had just been thinking about how easy it was to spot traps during the Games and now here I was, tangled up in one. I sobered quickly when it dawned that if a trap was set here it meant that a Tribute wasn't far. Easily I cut through the rope and picked myself back up. I didn't know how close the Tribute was, so I grabbed my knife tightly in my hand and ran.

For about a mile I ran in the direction of the Cornucopia before I stopped and slowed myself to a walk. I wiped the sweat out of my face and panted softly. I needed more water. The arena was boiling this year. Breathing out slowly, I steadied my nerves and kept my eyes darting from place to place. That was thing about hunters. We had to be constantly watching. Gale had taught me that. He would always tell me to find something to focus on and make sure that I kept returning to it. But always glance around. Try and find something. The chances were that it was right in front of you.

My eyes were focused on the path that I was following in case a Tribute sprung out on me but my ears were everywhere. I was listening for a change in the wind, or the snap of a twig, or even the soft crunch of the grass. It was just in case a Tribute or animal decided to pay me a visit. There was a soft crack of a twig and I smirked. It was too quiet to be a Tribute so it must have been a smaller animal. I turned slowly and smirked at the squirrel that was staring at me. I felt bad for the poor thing. It had done nothing to me but I had to kill it. The animal would be my one meal for today.

Pulling my knife back to my face, the squirrel seemed to realize what I was about to do and I hissed as it tried to dart away from me. I threw my knife before it could get too far and it hit the back leg of the animal. I grimaced at the squeal of pain the squirrel made as I walked towards it. It was too injured to walk and I knew that I would have to put the squirrel out of its misery quickly. I wasn't the type for torture, especially to things that didn't deserve it. I pulled the knife out of the squirrel's leg quickly and slit the throat, killing it instantly. I held the squirrel upside down and let the blood drain from its limp body.

About five minutes later the blood had drained from the squirrel and I went to work skinning the animal and removing the inedible organs. Once I had I started a small fire and cooked the meat. It probably hadn't been completely cooked but I was getting antsy that I would meet another Tribute. I stamped the fire out and sat down with my lunch. Tossing the head, organs, and paws away from me, I got back to walking. Maybe a Tribute would be stupid and eat them - poisoning themselves. Those were the inedible parts of the animal.

Although by this point the Tributes probably wouldn't be foolish enough to fall for little things like that. They would know that something was wrong, like me with the berries yesterday. I sighed as I savored the squirrel. Despite how excited the Capitol people got during these Games they would never know how boring it was to be in them. Except for the Bloodbath, a few incidents during the Games, and then the Death Match we were alone and bored all day long. I had been walking aimlessly for about an hour, thinking about what I would have done if I hadn't volunteered for the Games.

There weren't many things that I could have done. I probably would have either become a Hob merchant or a coal miner like Gale. There really weren't that many good jobs in District 12 so people just took what they could get. It was like food. Nothing in District 12 really tasted that good. We only ate because we would die if we didn't. It was odd sitting here all day with nothing to do. I actually wished that Cato would show up, if nothing else for the company. It was so lonely and I had nothing to do. There wasn't even any more pain to take my mind off of the boredom. I was just left here with my thoughts.

So I thought back about what I would be doing if I was still at home. The thought was almost a little strange. I could perfectly picture how I would normally be spending my days. This morning Katniss would have come to get me and the two of us would have started a hunt. She would have taken a long time to wake me up and we would have ended up on the floor a few times, but it would have eventually worked out. Eventually we would have met up with Gale. We would catch what we could and bring it to the Hob to sell it, or trade, depending on the day.

After that we would either buy something to eat for the day or we would bring back the food that we had traded it for. We would head back to the Everdeen household and eat with Prim. She would give us some of her cheese that she would get from her goat and Katniss would complain about Prim's cat. We both would. I hated Buttercup as much as Katniss did. Sometimes I hated the cat a little more. It had left a good reminder that it hated me too a few years ago. It had shredded the back of my left hand. I glanced down at the scars and smirked. Would have liked to see you against the wolf mutt.

The Capitol was probably dying to know what I was smirking about. Not Cato, for once. The four of us would then all sit together and talk, or play a game, or really do whatever we wanted. Hours later we would all sit together and eat dinner. After we would go outside and once Prim was tired, Katniss would take her to bed and say goodnight to Gale and me. Sometimes we would stay a little later but most of the time we would let Katniss have some time with her sister and mother.

Most nights Gale and I would go back to either his house, where I would spend time with his family, or we would go back to my house. It had never occurred to me that it probably didn't look very good that Gale and I spent most nights together in my house. But I had never thought of it as anything unusual. We would often just sit and talk together or watch the stars. There was even the occasional night that he would spend the night at my house and we would talk all night. Sometimes Katniss and Prim would stay with us too and we would all be up all night, talking about everything and nothing.

The memories were all fond and I missed home terribly. The thought of Gale spending the night with me almost made me smile. Our nights together had been so innocent. We would sleep in the same bed and I would listen to the beating of his heart. It was always comforting. But Gale had never seen any of me. Stupid Cato... He'd seen me half-naked and I knew that if we were in a bed together I wouldn't be able to show the same restraint. Why the hell couldn't I feel the same thing for Gale that I felt for Cato? I wished that I did.

Think about something else. I wondered what things would be like if I had grown up with parents. Would I be able to fight? Would I have ever known Katniss and Prim? Or even Gale? Maybe. But there could have been the chance that I had not known them and Katniss would have gone into the Games. Our parents had loved each other but there was a chance that I wouldn't have known them well enough to step in and do exactly what I had done this time. It would have been Katniss in here.

Although I knew that there was no way that she would be foolish enough to fall for someone that would want to kill her. And something told me that Katniss would never have even looked twice at Cato. But then there would have been the Peeta issue. How would that have gone? Maybe the same way this was going with Cato. Either way she wouldn't have looked at him. I wished that I was as smart as her. But maybe it was a better thing that my parents had died. Because that meant that I was here and not her. And it meant that her family couldn't be torn apart any more than it already was.

There was a high pitched laugh and my heart sank to my feet. I would have known that laugh anywhere. It was Glimmer. And if she was headed this way it meant that the rest of the Careers were close behind her. I growled as I darted to a tree and began to climb up it. Gale always said that I reminded him of a squirrel the way that I could scurry up even the slenderest limb. Part of it was my weight, but part of it was practice. You had to know where to place your hands and feet. My irritation quickly seeped into my body as I continued to climb.

If I'd been paying a little more attention I definitely would have heard them coming long enough ago that I could have sprinted off. That wasn't what I had meant when I had wished Cato was here! Part of me wondered if the Gamemakers had done something to push them over here. I was up on a branch about thirty-five feet off of the ground and I ducked under a branch as Clove came into view. She had a smirk on her face and for a moment I had thought that it was because she had spotted me, but she was only laughing at something that Marvel had said.

They hadn't seen me. Coral glanced down at my torn apart and smiled. "Hey check this out. Someone was here recently," she told the rest of the Careers.

There were very few people that knew how to build a fire like that. Thankfully none of the Careers spent much time at the survival stations. They definitely wouldn't know who built fires like that. Cato came into view and he ducked down. That was when I realized with horror that he knew how I made fires. He would know the obvious sign of me. I looked around for Peeta and Ethan but neither were anywhere to be found. My throat closed at the thought that the cannon this morning might have been for Peeta. But it could have been for Ethan too. Or maybe it wasn't for either of them.

"You don't think Lover Boy or the kid made a run for it while we're out do you?" Coral asked.

They were alive. I took a deep breath, relaxing slightly. Most of the people that I cared about were still alive. Not that I cared about Ethan and I tried not to think about Peeta. But some part of me was relieved to hear that it wasn't Peeta. With them still alive it meant that the Careers were still intact. They had just left the two boys to protect their supply tower while they went out hunting. I would have never done something like that. There were so many things out there that were useful for them.

I was slightly surprised that they had done that. They really trusted that neither one of them would run off or steal something while they weren't looking? That was what Haymitch had meant about them being arrogant. They believed that the two males would stay and protect their supplies just because they were afraid. Of course, it might be the perfect plan. I ran it through my head who the cannon could have been for. It still could have been for Finch, Rue, or Thresh. I prayed that it wasn't but there was a good chance that it was.

Clove shook her head and Coral nodded. "Maybe it was that dumb bitch," Glimmer said.

Apparently now I was also dumb. "Can she build a fire?" Marvel asked.

"No," Cato answered quickly.

My heart fluttered. He knew that it was mine. The Capitol people were likely fainting from the slightly romantic notion. Cato knew exactly what my fires looked like. He knew that it was me. The twigs were still smoking slightly. He knew that I had been here recently. He was probably smart enough to know that I wasn't far from them right now. He was just trying to keep me safe for a few more hours by keeping the Careers from looking for me. Little did he know that I wanted them to go looking for me.

" I saw her making fire at the station back at the Training Center. It could be her," Clove put in.

"She's one of the few left that did," Marvel added.

"I saw her fires up close in the Training Center. It's not," Cato said.

"We can't take the chance. There's a good chance that it is her," Clove said.

"She might not be far. We can find her. Whoever was here hasn't been gone long. I can't wait to watch her choke on her own blood," Glimmer said giddily.

That was nice of her. My jaws tightened slightly as I sank down further and further into the branch. I wasn't quite in the mood to choke on my own blood. I'd come close enough to doing that last night. Clove snorted at the notion and Marvel shook his head with a grin. Coral looked like she hadn't even heard the girl and Cato looked as calm as I had ever seen him. I wanted him to threaten her for saying something about me. I growled deep in my throat, tempted to throw a knife at her from here. But it wasn't worth it. I would give away my hiding spot and I might miss.

The unfortunate thing was that I'd lost another one of my knives since the last time that I'd been cornered by the Careers on the first night. It meant that I only had enough knives to hit them all once. What if I missed one of them? Knives weren't as accurate as the arrows. The sight of Glimmer with them was driving me nuts. She couldn't even use them! I could have taken them all out with the arrows and they wouldn't have been able to react. I was much faster with the arrows than I was with the knives.

Plus if I missed I would leave at least one of them to try and kill me. I would be weaponless afterwards. I would just be giving them more knives. And if they ran off I wouldn't be able to throw fast enough. The knives didn't travel as far as the arrows did. There was a good chance that Clove could hit me with a knife. Marvel's spear might have a hard time making it through the branches of the trees but I wasn't really willing to risk it. He had near-perfect aim. Coral was small and there was another good chance that she could climb the tree, forcing a fight on a small piece of the limb.

As useless as I liked to think that Glimmer was, she did have the bow and arrows. She wasn't completely hopeless with them. The tree limb was only so big and it would be almost impossible for me to avoid the tip of an arrowhead up here. No. Fighting wasn't my best choice. And I still wasn't feeling the best. Accidentally missing one of the Careers was pretty likely and that would mean a very bad day for me. So I slipped farther into the crook of the tree branch and looked over the edge, watching the Careers sit together.

They were all joking around and I would have found the whole thing amusing had they not been joking about what my face would be like when they killed me. As expected, Glimmer was leading the conversation, making up all kinds of ways to kill me and how I would beg for my life. Marvel would occasionally join in and so would Clove. But for the most part they just listened and laughed. Coral remained silent, only laughing every once in a while at one of their jokes. The only one of the Careers that wasn't laughing was Cato.

He sat next to Glimmer but he looked like he might reach over and ring her neck at any moment. I assumed that he wanted to be the only one to insult me. That was fine by me. I'd rather listen to a thousand of his insults over one of hers. Cato stood as the sun began to set and I watched as he walked away from the small camp that they had set up. I definitely wouldn't be moving tonight. Glimmer stood and walked after him, clearly looking upset that he wasn't enjoying the conversation.

"Why aren't you laughing?" Glimmer scoffed.

Cato ignored her and continued to walk closer to the base of my tree. I slunk back into the branch. "Take watch," he ordered her.

It looked like she was waiting for an answer to her previous question and when she never got one she got upset. Glimmer grabbed onto Cato's arm and looked like she was ready to give him a talking to, but he easily cut her down. Without even looking like he had put any effort into it Cato threw her off of his arm and towered over her. She backed off and Clove barked out a laugh. But one looked from Cato and she quieted down quickly. Cato leaned down to Glimmer and grabbed her by the collar of the shirt, pulling her close to him.

"Don't you ever touch me. Now I'm only gonna tell you this one more time. She's still mine. Lay off and find your own Tribute. If you lay a hand on her, I'll cut your head off," he hissed. He easily released her and threw her back roughly. She scurried away from him and sat as far back from the fire they had started as she could. "We make camp here for the night."

They all nodded, despite the fact that he wasn't looking at them. "Dull the fire a little bit," Clove told Coral.

"I'll take the night watch," Cato said.

Of course he was going to take the night watch. There was a chance that one of the other Careers might have fallen asleep. I knew enough about Cato to know that he was going to stay awake all night. He would stay awake and I would have no chance to get away from here. The sun was setting and I knew that it was probably only about seven. I couldn't even shift around and risk having them hear me up here. I couldn't do anything. Not when they were literally right below my tree.

The face of the fallen Tribute wouldn't even be shown for another hour or two. I sighed and settled into the tree as silently as I could as the Careers settled into their spots. Glimmer laid down and Marvel did too, softly talking with Coral. Clove got up and sat with Cato. I could tell that they had known each other before they had both volunteered. They actually looked like they were friends. I briefly wondered if they could kill each other. Probably but they most likely weren't thinking about that yet. I shook my head and sat back in the tree. It was going to be a long night.

In The District 4 Common Area...

Haymitch Abernathy was pacing back and forth irritably and the entire time he was mumbling about how stupid Aspen was being. Why hadn't she just run? She could have been gone in a flash. With the exception of the girl from District 5 she was the fastest of any of the Tributes. They might have followed her but she could have lost them. It wasn't even that her injuries were that bad. She was fine now. In a little bit of pain, but otherwise fine. It would have been smarter for her to run.

Now she was stuck up in that tree for who knew how long. And Peeta had joined the Careers, the very group that wanted to kill him. For the first time since he had become a Mentor for District 12 he had two kids that both had the possibility to win and they were blowing it. Haymitch had chosen Aspen to help, but some part of him was still trying to help out Peeta. He had offered to help the Careers find Aspen and kill her, but Haymitch was smart enough to know that Peeta was really dragging them in any direction other than Aspen's.

Peeta was going to be too kind and get stabbed in the back by one of those stuck-up kids from the inner Districts. And Aspen... Oh... Where did he even begin with her? She was getting closer and closer to Cato and he was sure that the District 2 male was growing closer to her as well. The whole story was cute, but it was going to kill her. He would either turn around and stab her in the heart or she just wouldn't be able to kill him in the end. Either way, these whole Games were going to end poorly.

"Haymitch, stop pacing. You're going to make a dent in the floor," the District 4 Mentor, Finnick Odair, called to the older man.

He understood that Aspen was in danger as long as she was around Cato, but there was nothing that could be done now. After Cato's little display with Glimmer the rest of the Careers had turned in early, leaving Cato on watch and Aspen stuck in the tree. He knew that she wasn't stupid enough to try to get away from him. He would catch her easily and it didn't seem that he was in the best of moods today. She would be smart to stay in the tree until morning came around and the Careers moved on. He knew that was what she was planning on doing.

"You do realize that she's right within the reach of the Careers?" Haymitch snapped.

"She's in the tree. She's fine," Finnick said.

"What's with your Tribute? What the hell is even going on with her? I had heard that your other Mentor was trying to get her something," Haymitch told Finnick.

The District 4 Victor sighed and nodded. "She is but she can't tell me what. When she and the boy decided to be trained separately Annie took Coral and I took him," Finnick said.

"He never wanted to be a Career?" Haymitch asked.

"Not from what he mentioned. As far as she's concerned, I have nothing to do with Coral. I'm sure she'd tell me if she could but you know the rules. We couldn't even tell Aspen what's going on if we wanted to." It was true, there was a rule that stated that Mentors couldn't tell their Tributes about anything to do with the Games in the outside world. "She's safe up in that tree. She'll move on in the morning once they've left. She's fine Haymitch," Finnick consoled his friend.

"I know but if Cato spots her at some point he might kill her," Haymitch said.

"I wouldn't bet on that."

"I think he's getting to his wits end with battling his feelings for her and I don't want to see what happens when he realizes that his feelings for her are more than just -" Haymitch ranted before a voice on the screen brought his attention back to the arena.

Finnick sighed. "I saw that one coming," he muttered.

"Damn it!" Haymitch shouted.

Back In The Arena...

I was slowly nodding off but I refused to fall asleep. Not knowing that Cato was right beneath me. Literally. What if I shifted? Plus there was no way that I could tie myself into the tree without Cato noticing and it was dangerous to sleep in a tree without something holding me in. So I watched as the sun sank completely behind the horizon. The only light now came from the fake stars in the sky and the light glow of the Career's fire. I knew that the face of the fallen Tribute would be shown soon and I was itching to know who we had lost today.

"I know you're up there," Cato called.

If there was much more in my stomach I was sure that I would have leaned over and thrown up on him. That might have actually been a little funny. For a while, until he gutted me for repentance. Maybe he was happier than I thought that he was. He sounded like he didn't really want to kill me. He just sounded tired and kind of bored. But that didn't stop every profanity that I knew from racking through my brain. I should have run. I didn't know how he had seen me. He hadn't even looked up here. I guessed that all of that training in District 2 did pay off for something.

His hearing was better than I thought that it would be. Cato turned to me and I sighed, not bothering to hide anymore. He had seen me. He didn't look particularly violent today but after the stunt he'd pulled with Glimmer earlier I still held a knife tightly in my right hand. Just in case. He smirked at me and began to climb the tree that I was in. He made his way up into the tree quickly and stopped at the branch right below mine. I sat sideways over my own branch and he did the same with his.

We were so off in height that despite the fact that he was sitting on another branch I was looking directly into his eyes. He was over a foot taller than me. He had climbed the tree easier than I had thought that he would be able to climb. He was so large that I hadn't thought that he'd be able to climb up with me. He kicked one of my feet off to the side so that he could slide a leg in between mine and I scoffed. What were we, three?

"You can climb," I commented.

"Obviously."

"You never did it in training."

"Why did I have to? You showed me what not to do," Cato teased, grinning from ear to ear.

There went my desire to talk to him. My face fell. "Is there something that I can help you with, Hadley, or did you just come up here to annoy me?" I asked, scoffing softly.

He smirked at me and put an arm on my branch so that he was leaning into me. "Well, Antaeus, I figured that since I'm on watch anyways and you won't sleep we might as well keep each other company," he said.

"How do you know that I won't sleep?" I asked.

"You're too paranoid."

"Fair enough. Alright you came up here. Entertain me," I said, half-serious and half-joking.

I was so pathetically bored after the days of isolation. I wanted to talk to someone. "Take the jacket off again. I'll entertain you," Cato said, his eyes glinting.

"I hate you," I snapped.

"No, you don't. Plus I came to offer you a deal," he said, with a serious face.

"Oh?" I asked curiously. "What's that?" "

If you kill Glimmer, I won't kill you."

I covered my mouth and snorted to myself, praying that I wasn't being too loud. Noises like something as little as a snort or a giggle were enough to carry through the arena. I had to be careful to make sure that everything that Cato and I said was quiet enough to not draw the attention of the sleeping Careers. The last thing that I needed was to wake up the rest of the Careers. Settling down in the branch slightly I turned into him and smiled.

"I'd do it without you promising not to kill me. Your offer is tempting, but I'm afraid that at the moment I'll have to decline," I told him with fake sorrow.

"Damn you," Cato said.

We laughed again. We were silent for a while before I turned to him, a question itching in the back of my mind. "I have to ask you something," I said.

Cato turned back to me with a raised eyebrow. "Just one? I'm almost impressed," Cato said.

"Don't be an asshole."

"I thought that you told Caesar Flickerman that I was an asshole?"

"You are. But you're momentarily redeeming yourself and - Shut up! It's my turn to talk." The Capitol people were likely laughing at our banter and Caesar was probably thrilled at being mentioned. "I get why you messed with me when we were in the Capitol. We were in close quarters and you were trying to psyche me out before the Games," I muttered.

"Not always," Cato said.

My heart gave a little flutter. "Why are you still doing it? We've come to the same conclusion. We're going to fight against each other in the Death Match. These Games just get harder when you get close to people... So why do you still treat me like a friend?" I asked Cato.

It was a loaded question, but if I was going to die, I wanted to know the answer. It was the one answer that I wanted to know more than anything. If I was going to die I wanted to know if this really was real and what he really felt about me. He seemed to think about his answer for a moment before he took a deep breath and grabbed my shoe, which was propped up on his branch. He untied the laces and fiddled with them. I wondered if it was a nervous habit. There was no way. The great Cato Hadley didn't get nervous. Did he? He shook his head and scoffed at me.

"Aspen, I thought I told you that back in the Capitol, that night on the roof."

I thought back and nodded. It seemed like eons ago but it had only been a week ago. "We said a lot of things that night," I muttered.

The people in the Capitol were likely silent and trying to catch every word. They would be desperate to know what we had said. "I like you," Cato whispered.

"I like you too. You know that. And I knew that," I said.

"I wish we hadn't met like this and that I could have gotten more time with you. But I came here for one reason. And that is to win. And nothing will stop me. Not even feelings for you," he said.

"So you do? Have feelings for me?"

"Of course. I'm not messing with you, only using my time wisely," he said.

I nodded slowly and waited for him to say something else but he only sat in silence. "Did you ever think that seeing me every few days is only going to make it harder for you in the end? And not just on you, on me too. I wish the same thing. I wish that we had met in any other way. My best friend once told me that I would meet the wrong guy at the wrong time. She was right. I've tried everything that I could think of to hate you. My parents would be ashamed of me if they saw me right now. Damn it, I have a knife right here and I still won't kill you. But I swear that I will kill you at the end," I hissed more to myself than him.

He looked at me sidelong as I stared at my legs. He grabbed my face and forced me to look at him. For once there was no mocking in his eyes. They only held sorrow. "Do you remember telling me about your family? The little that you know?" Cato asked.

"Yes," I said hesitantly.

"Don't do that to yourself. Listen to me, Twelve. They would not be ashamed of you. They would be proud. Look at you. You got a perfect score in training. You were minutes away from death yesterday and now you're alive and well. You've killed people and you're still sane. If they were here they would be proud of everything that you've done," he said, not looking away from my eyes.

Pushing away from him I shook my head. "That's just it, Cato. I've killed people. I never wanted this. Not any of this. I'm not you. I haven't looked forward to this since I was a kid," I said.

Through the darkness I could see him roll his eyes at me. It was likely that the people in the Capitol and all through Panem didn't. He grabbed the back of my neck and pushed his face against mine. I was grateful that he had done it because I had felt tears beginning to well up and I had about to go all sob story on him. I was sure that it was why he had kissed me. He didn't want his love interest to look like a weeping fool. I couldn't help but to wonder what the rest of Panem thought of us. Were they disgusted or was our story heartwarming?

Perhaps I was just as much as a traitor to District 12 - to my own family - as Peeta was. Maybe I had been too quick to judge. He had one hand behind my back as he pulled me closer to him. For a moment I had a brief flash of fear that Cato was going to pull me off of the branch and let me fall to my death. But even he wasn't that low. He would have rather stabbed me anyways. Cato let a hand crawl up my thigh to where the stab wound had been and he slipped his thumb into the hole that he had made in my pants.

He began stroking my bare skin and I felt my face light up. I was so grateful that it was dark and my face was hidden from view. I let a hand rest against his chest and I felt him smirk. It felt like touching a brick wall. He tipped my face back and I felt his tongue lightly brush against my lip. I jumped back and rolled my eyes when I felt his mouth spread into a smirk, knowing that he had gotten to me. My hands grabbed at his jacket as he pulled me close. Sooner than I would have liked he pulled away from me and smirked at the disappointed look that crossed my face for a moment.

"Don't worry. There's more where that came from," he said, winking at me.

"I don't want more," I snapped.

We both laughed as I slid back on my branch. "Sure you don't," he said. I had thought that he would release me but he never did. His thumb stayed hooked in my pants as he ran his thumb in relaxing circles over my leg. "Feel better?"

"Yeah. Thanks," I muttered.

"My absolute pleasure."

He was wearing a sleazy grin. I was about to snap at him that he was disgusting when the Panem anthem played. We both glanced towards in the other direction as I glanced up at the sky. He didn't look concerned so I assumed that he knew the person that had died. I couldn't help but wonder if they had waited for Cato and my moment to be over to show the face. Probably. The Capitol loved us together. They didn't want any interruptions. The face of the boy from District 5 flashed in the sky and I knitted my eyebrows together.

"Marvel killed him this morning. We caught him out in an opening close to the Cornucopia," Cato said, sensing my curiosity.

Nodding at him, I leaned against the trunk of the tree. At least it wasn't anyone that I had feared for. It meant that Rue and Thresh were still safe somewhere in the arena. "What's District 2 like?" I asked Cato.

It was a sudden question but I genuinely was curious. "What?" Cato asked.

"Tell me what District 2 is like." Cato started to laugh. "What's so funny?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

He smiled and shook his head. "I've just never had to explain it to anyone before," Cato said.

"Try."

"It's home. Everyone knows what District 2 is like because it's the only place that they've ever known. It's nice. Nicer than District 12 is I bet," he said.

"I've never seen it but I'd been willing to bet that you're right. District 12 is the poorest District," I muttered, just loudly enough for the Capitol to hear.

"Since we're masonry almost everything is built out of stone. I guess you'd think that it sounds cold but it isn't. There are always fires burning that people sit around and families walk everywhere together. We have lots of kids. They use these plastic swords and they chase each other around all day with them, training from a young age. I did it too," Cato confessed, with the tiniest of smiles.

"Sounds cute," I said, half-truthfully.

he thought of a young Cato with a plastic sword running around and getting yelled at seemed like the cutest thing. It made me smile. I was sure that he was an adorable child. "Your turn. Tell me about District 12," Cato said.

"Fair enough. It's actually quite large. We're surrounded by woods on all sides but it's illegal to go into them. They're cut off with electric fences. Most of the District is incredibly poor. The only part that has any money is the merchant sector but even that isn't much. I live in something called the Seam. It's where the poorest residents of District 12 live. Most of us live there. There's Victor's Village too but only Haymitch lives there. It really isn't much but we're all close. It's like one big family living in District 12. When one of us is hurt we all pitch in to help them," I told him with a smile.

"Even with almost nothing?" Cato asked.

"Yes. It's what keeps us alive. Not money. Love," I whispered.

I had plenty of fond memories of District 12 and I prayed that I would get the chance to see it again. It looked like Cato might have looked a little depressed. "Help from what?" Cato asked.

"Katniss's mother helps men and women that are wounded. She's a nurse of types. We don't charge. It's just to help keep people alive. We try, at least," I muttered. "Why'd you want to know?"

"So I know what to expect during the Victory Tour," Cato said, smirking at me.

I laughed and shoved him roughly but he barely moved. He was like a brick wall compared to me. "That's alright. I'll know what to expect in District 2 on my Victory Tour," I said, grinning madly.

"How about your family?" Cato asked after a beat, and my smiled dropped.

They were a sensitive topic and I really never talked about them. I had already told them about my parents. Not that I'd really told him. I'd actually only muttered a little bit about knowing that they died in their respective Games and they were both killed by the District 2 male. The Capitol was likely silent for them to hear my story. It wasn't like I really knew them anyways. It should have been easy to tell. I had never met my father and my mother had died only a few days after I turned two.

"Cato, you probably know as much about them as I do. There's nothing really to tell," I told him sadly.

He ran his thumb softly over my leg again. "Come on, Aspen. Just tell me what you know. There has to be a little something you know about them," Cato gently prodded.

I sighed and nodded. "Like I said, there really isn't much to tell about my family. Obviously I'm an only child. My dad died before they could have any more children. My parents were both only children and they had wanted more than one but they had never gotten around to it. My dad was Reaped when he was eighteen and my mom was sixteen. She was supposed to give birth in two weeks. Once my dad was in the arena I was born. That day Haymitch sent my father a pink blanket and a note that said my name and that I was healthy. He tried to get to me, but he couldn't. He died trying to get to me. My mother was Reaped two years later. She left me with Ms. Everdeen who was her best friend. My mom died two days after my second birthday. I don't remember either one of them. If it weren't for an old picture, I would have no idea what they looked like," I told Cato with a sad stare.

He grabbed my hand and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry," he told me quietly.

I looked over at him and could tell that for once he actually meant it. And he had no idea what that meant to me. I shook my head at him and dropped his hand. "Doesn't matter. It's over with," I muttered.

"I don't remember learning about your parents," Cato admitted.

"Good. Do me a favor. If you win, don't watch their Games. Don't even watch these Games again," I said.

"Why?" Cato asked.

"Because that's not the me that I want you to remember. I want you to remember the girl up on the roof."

Cato looked over at me and smiled. "The one that thinks that I'm nothing like she expected," Cato said.

Turning to him I smiled. "Exactly. Come on, this place sucks enough. Let's not make it even worse," I said.

"Let's make it better," Cato said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Shut up. I've been curious... Did you and Clove know each other before the Games?"

"Can you tell?"

"Kind of. I was assuming that you trained together. You guys seemed kind of close when she was talking to you earlier."

"Clove and I did know each other. Even though she was three years behind me she always knew what she was doing. She grew up with the boys and was tough as nails."

"She seems it."

Cato smiled. Some screwed up part of me hoped that they had never been romantically involved. "We were friends growing up. With how good of a knife thrower she was she got put in with the eighteen-year-old kids really quickly. I wasn't surprised that she volunteered this year. Besides the pickings of the eighteen-year-old girls this year probably would have been just like Glimmer," Cato scoffed.

"Oh and wouldn't you just hate that?" I teased.

He scoffed at me and shoved me. I tilted off of the branch slightly but he kept a hand on my thigh to keep me steady. "I'm going to break her skull," Cato growled.

"She likes you."

"I hate her."

"I know how you feel," I said, giving him a pointed glare.

He chuckled softly and changed the topic back to what we had been speaking about. "I won't be happy when the time comes but Clove and I already talked about it. We knew what was happening when we signed on for training. We knew that we would probably end up fighting a friend in these Games. But that's the way it goes. The title of Victor goes to the best and the other at least gets to down fighting," he said.

Despite the fact that he seemed rather fond of his home it seemed like a terrible place to me. Cruel. "How can you do that?" I asked.

"Don't think. Just kill," Cato said.

"That's what I tell myself when I hunt."

"Tributes?"

"Animals. I guess there's not much of a difference," I muttered.

"No. There is. They teach us that killing isn't so bad. But I remember what my mother once told me. When I first told him that I wanted to come into the Games. She was proud of me but she said, 'Remember something. To murder an innocent person will change you. You'll never be the same. And there will be one person that haunts you forever.' I ignored her at the time. Now I can't," Cato said.

My heart was pounding in my chest. I was positive that he could hear it. He'd once thought that he would never care for anyone that way. He'd thought that no death would affect him. But now he knew that my death would always haunt him. It proved to me that his feelings really were real. He wouldn't have said that in front of the cameras and made himself look weak if he didn't. So I leaned forward and pressed a small kiss against his mouth. The first kiss that I had initiated. Cato tensed up - not expecting it - and I leaned back into my place. He pushed my hair back and smiled weakly.

We were both so much different that either one of us had been expecting. I felt the air growing too thick and I needed to change it. "Tell me about your family. I'm so curious to know where you get your... charms from," I said slowly.

I had been searching for the right word and I was sure that it was the wrong one. Cato smiled, grateful for the subject change. "Damn, where to start?" he asked.

"Big family?" I asked.

He laughed to himself and I smiled. "Kind of. I'm the middle of four kids," he said, making my jaw nearly drop to the floor.

"You have siblings?" I blurted out in disbelief.

He stared at me like I was nuts and laughed. "Yeah, Aspen. Three. That's what middle of four would mean," he said, with a smirk. I rolled my eyes. "I have an older brother and a younger sister and brother."

That sounded like quite the family. Back in District 12 having a family like that would likely mean that one of them would starve to death. That was way too many kids. It was like Gale's, who had a horribly difficult time providing for them. I scoffed lightly and began to twirl my knife in between my fingers. His thumb was slowly circling farther up my thigh and I was feeling odd shudders, but refused to let him see that he was getting to me. So instead I played it off like I was bored.

"That poor boy that ever decides to date her," I told him, grinning madly.

Cato glared at me for a moment before laughing. "You're damn right," he said.

I joined in on the laughter. "You love her?" I asked.

"They're my family. Of course I love them," Cato snapped.

It took me a moment too long to realize that I was stereotyping him as a typical Career. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that," I muttered.

"I know. We aren't a big family but we're all actually pretty close. There's my Dad, Damien, who is married to my Mom, Alana. Her best friend is Brutus so I've actually known him since I was a kid."

"I'm sorry," I interrupted.

Cato laughed. For a moment I waited for a Gamemaker who was fond of Brutus to strike me down with a lightning bolt. It never happened. I'd probably earned some favor from the people that didn't like Brutus, and laughs from the Capitol people who didn't realize that I was being serious, but the rest of District 2 probably didn't like me too much right now. They all loved Brutus.

"Then there's my older brother, Dean, who's twenty-one. He wanted to be in the Games but his girlfriend got pregnant and he wasn't willing to leave her alone with the baby so he stayed. I guess he's living through me since I get to be here. The girl's name is Carrie, who's twenty, and they have a daughter Marley, who's two."

"I'm glad he didn't leave her," I muttered.

A shadow passed over his face. "So were we. Then there's me and after me is my younger brother, Aidan. He's ten. He takes after me. Good with a sword and strong. He won't come here. I won't let him," he said.

I smiled at his determination to keep his brother safe. "That's sweet of you."

"And then there's the youngest of my siblings. Leah, who's six right now," he said.

I laughed. "That's eight people who all live together. That's a big family," I said.

"Compared to a family of four," Cato teased.

"One. I live in a house by myself next to Katniss's family."

Cato frowned. "That's lonely," he said.

"It's okay. I have a place to go when I want company. Your place sounds like quite the busy household," I told him with a smile.

He smiled back fondly and I knew that despite his hard demeanor. His family meant everything to him. Just like mine meant everything to me. "It is," he finally said in a low whisper. "I know you're curious now. You want to know why I volunteered, right?"

"I never thought you'd pick it out. Yeah... I think I want to know."

Honestly I wasn't sure if I would like the answer but I still wanted to hear his explanation. "When I was growing up, fighting was the one thing that I was good at. It was the only thing that I knew how to do. I did this because everyone expected me to do it and it was a chance to be great. I don't regret it. I only regret one thing," Cato said.

"Glimmer?" I asked teasingly.

There went my Sponsors from District 1. "You," he said softly.

My heartbeat was so loud that I was sure that he could hear it. My eyes dropped down to the ground as his hand moved off of my leg. We sat in silence and I thought for a moment about what he had said. He had basically admitted that he liked me and that it would be hard for him to kill me. But it didn't matter what we thought. We would still have to fight at the end of this. I leaned over and kissed Cato on the cheek. He laughed and turned to me with a questioning look. I shrugged my shoulders and leaned back into my spot.

"You still have my pin, by the way. I'd like it back," I said, spotting the Mockingjay pin that was hidden under his jacket.

He laughed and shook his head when I went to grab it. "I don't think so, Twelve. I told you that you'd get it back on your birthday and I meant it. Got another day to go," he said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes, lying back on the tree. "It's mine," I snapped.

"You gave it to me," Cato said.

"When I thought that I was going to die."

"Still a gift."

"You're an ass."

We watched the sky for a moment before I saw a small smirk spread over his face. I looked over at him and he looked down at me with a smirk. "My family is probably ashamed at me for being soft on you. And Brutus and my father are probably livid," he said, with a laugh.

It was the same thing that he had said to me back on the roof. But we had become so much closer over the past week. I was brought back to the night on the roof. I smiled at the memory that seemed like a far off dream now. There was an electronic buzz behind me and I turned back. It was one of the cameras that the Gamemakers put in the arena to record our every move. I turned to the camera and decided to have a little fun. But first I turned to Cato.

"I'm sure they're upset that the wolf didn't kill me."

"Probably. But I'm not," Cato said.

I smiled and turned back to the camera while putting on the nastiest smirk I could muster. "Screw that mutt!" I hissed, knowing that his family would be watching this right now. Everyone was. "I'm still alive and kicking. And I'll still kick your son's ass!"

The people in the Capitol were likely smiling, and so were Gale and Prim, Katniss would be snapping at me to be quiet, and District 2 would be livid. I laughed again before I turned back to Cato, who was watching me with an amused smirk. He looked at me with a gaze that pierced through me. It made some color rise to my cheeks. I was grateful that no one could see with the darkness of the arena. Half of me expected Cato to make some rude retort but he never did.

Instead we sat in silence for a while, just watching the stars. They were gorgeous. It was just too bad that they weren't real. I laid my head on Cato's shoulder and felt his hand slide around my waist. His finger slipped under my shirt and stroked my hip lightly. I smiled at the feeling. My hip bone protruded slightly and I found that he was poking it lightly. I flicked him in the ear to get him to stop and he dug his hand into my hip. I hissed at the pain and he smiled at me. I slapped him over the head and he finally let go, scoffing when he saw my triumphant smile.

We sat together just enjoying each other's presence when Cato finally sighed. "Leave," he said, under his breath.

I raised my eyebrow at him, wondering where that comment had come from. "What?" I asked.

"I still want you alive for the Death Match, which means you need to sleep, and I know damn well that you won't sleep while we're here. Plus it'll be easy to see you in the daylight. How do you think I found you?" Cato asked.

He was smirking at me. I scoffed and pulled my pack onto my back, standing on the branch. "I guess I'm not as clever as I think," I said.

Cato stood on his too and we were matched in height. "You're not," he agreed.

I went to drop down to the next branch but before I did, I turned to Cato. "Hey, thanks. For saving me, for tonight, for everything." I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and I felt his face fall into a smirk. "I guess I'll see you in two days then," I said.

He nodded at me. He began to jump down the branches and I followed him, stepping down as quietly as I could. He was definitely slower than me. I could have scaled the tree in ten seconds but he took almost thirty. It was a good idea for me to be slower anyways. The last thing that I needed was to wake up a group of people who wanted to kill me. Cato caught me around the waist as I fell off of the last branch and I softly hit the ground. He grabbed me around the waist and I felt my chest tighten. I was standing not even two feet away from Marvel, who had his spear gripped tightly in his hand.

Don't make a sudden move. I nodded a silent goodbye to Cato and turned to walk away but before I could even get two steps he grabbed my hand and turned me back to him. I almost stumbled over Marvel's body but Cato managed to catch me. He grabbed my head and pulled his face to mine again. I was glad that my mouth was closed or else I probably would have broken a tooth. I was terrified that the Careers would wake up but it didn't matter. My mind went into a haze every time that Cato kissed me. And it was becoming more and more frequent.

We were very close to stepping on Marvel but I found myself not even thinking about it. All that I wanted was to kiss him. Forever. Our mouths moved together and I could practically hear the screams of the Capitol people. It was likely past midnight but they would be thrilled with our interaction tonight. His hands tightened on my waist and I smiled into the kiss, running my hands through his hair. It was dirty and greasy and the thought made me feel a little bit better. He wasn't the perfect Career that I'd once thought that he was.

After a few minutes I felt marks beginning to form from how tightly his hands were latched onto me. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was that we were here right now. He finally released me and I quietly gasped for air. We'd made it this far. I couldn't wake someone up now. Cato motioned for me to leave, not willing to risk speaking, and I did so. I slipped out of the Career camp quietly and darted over Clove's sleeping body. I sprinted past the clearing and headed into the thick of the woods. Once I was about a mile and a half away from them I found a tree that was high enough and I shimmied into it.

My legs were shaking as I climbed. Partly from the kiss that Cato and I had shared, partly from being tucked into the tree all night, and partly because of the dead sprint that I'd just taken. It was late and I wanted to be sleeping. Or, if nothing else, I wanted to at least be lying down. So I scaled the tree about forty feet up. Once I had plopped myself into a branch near the top of the tree I settled myself in. I placed my pack behind me and pulled my rope and blanket out. I draped the blanket over myself, tucking the spare material under me.

Easily I tied the rope around my legs and tightened it, making sure that I triple knotted it. Once I was satisfied that it was tight enough I fell back onto my pack and slipped my eyes closed. It hadn't been much of a day until the nighttime and it had been a hell of a night. As I finally fell asleep I thought back on my night with Cato. I had actually kissed him. Albeit that it was after he'd managed to sweet-talk me, but still. I shook my head and cleared my mind. I couldn't think about him. Not now. I tried to ignore my feelings about him but I knew the truth. I had fallen for Cato Hadley and killing him would kill me.

In District 12...

Caesar Flickerman had finally announced the end of the sixth day of the Games. It was well into the middle of the night but the days didn't usually end until all of the action slowed down. Whether that meant that it was a fight or a conversation. By now all of the Tributes but the boy from District 2 were fast asleep. Some of them were restless but everyone seemed to be trying to get some shut-eye. Gale angrily looked away from the screen, trying to soften his face as Prim walked up to him. He bade her a goodnight with a soft kiss on the forehead and watched as Katniss led her into their room to go to bed.

It was incredibly late and the two girls looked like they were about to fall over. Katniss had told Prim to go to bed when Cato had crawled up the tree to visit her but Prim had refused. They had both known that he wouldn't hurt her but Katniss had feared that Cato might have turned it into a mature conversation. Prim had just wanted to see what was about to happen with the two Tributes. Katniss had looked mortified when the two had shared their kisses, Prim had been shocked, and Gale had been so angry that he had almost left. But one glance from Katniss and he had sat back down.

Gale couldn't believe what had happened today. He had started off completely ecstatic. Despite the fact that Aspen and Cato had shared a moment in her cave the night before, which had nearly made Gale lose his mind, she had been alive. She had been completely shirtless and he had clearly enjoyed it. Gale felt terribly that no part of her had been hidden with her injury. Katniss had reminded him that they never hid anything. It was just a part of the Games. She'd also made mention that after Cato had gotten over it he had actually been good about just looking at the injuries. He'd even mentioned that fact to her.

Katniss had told Gale that it was an act on her part but Gale didn't care. He was furious. Every time he heard a mention of them together on the television it made him furious. But still he had managed to calm himself down and had eventually brightened when he saw that Aspen was healed the next morning. She had been fine all day other than her quick snag in the Tribute's trap. He had rolled his eyes at her. She needed to pay more attention. But then she had nearly been caught by the Careers. Gale thought that she was going to be fine until Cato had said that he knew she was hiding from them.

That was when it had all gone downhill. The two had talked like they were the oldest of friends and she had actually looked like she was enjoying his company. And apparently there had been some night before the Games that they had been up on some rooftop talking together. It had sounded like they were actually falling for each other before the Games even started. Gale - and everyone else - was furious that there were no cameras to have picked up that conversation. He wanted to know what they had said to each other.

Aspen had sworn that she would kill him but she hadn't. The damn girl had even been holding a knife. Then he had sprung a kiss on her and Gale had hoped that she was just acting through it. But then she had kissed him and the second time that he had kissed her she had seemed like she liked it. Gale had no idea what she was thinking. He couldn't tell if her bond with Cato was just acting or if she was actually growing close to the Tribute. One of these days she was going to give him a stroke.

The door on the side of the house opened and Katniss walked out of the room looking exhausted. She sighed deeply. Putting Prim to bed had been a struggle. She had kept asking if Aspen really liked Cato. And Katniss didn't have an answer for that. She had no idea. The oldest Everdeen child walked over to the television and clicked the button off, following Gale back out of her house. The older boy stood on the lower step and Katniss met him, standing on the one above it. She sighed and pulled Gale into her, knowing that today had crushed him. He sighed heavily and laid his head on her shoulder for a moment.

Finally he stood back up and looked at his remaining best friend. "What's going on Katniss? What the hell is she thinking?" Gale asked Katniss, knowing that she really didn't have an answer.

The younger girl sighed and shook her head. "I really don't know, Gale. Aspen is smart. She knows what she's doing. Who knows?" Katniss muttered.

"She does," Gale growled.

"Maybe. I don't even know if she does. It could be anything. I don't think she really has feelings for him. I just think that she's happy that someone finally is showing what it's like to be loved. And not the love that we show her. Real, romantic love. She's never had that before."

"So she has to pick him?"

"He was just there for her during a hard time. I still think it's an act," Katniss said.

"Really?"

"Yes. Right after they kissed last night she got the package. And tonight after they kissed, he let her go. Think about it, she's playing him. I think it will hurt her to kill him, but she's still going to be able to do it," Katniss said, with a sigh.

She wanted to believe it but part of her couldn't believe that it was true. Aspen really did looked like she loved the boy but she had to give Gale hope. She had to keep him somewhat happy until the Games were over. After a beat of silence Gale nodded. He believed Katniss but it still hurt watching Aspen with Cato. Whether or not she liked him didn't matter, her acting was better than he ever would have thought. It looked like she loved him but he just had to believe that Katniss was right. She was just acting.

"I hope you're right Katniss," Gale said softly.

"We're just not going to know for sure until she comes back home."

"I know. We should both get to bed. It'll be a long day again tomorrow," Gale said.

"You're right. Goodnight, Gale."

"Night, Catnip."

They hugged one last time and gave each other pathetically small smiles before pulling apart and heading to their respective homes. As Gale walked down the last step Katniss turned back and walked into her own house. Her mother had gone to bed hours ago but she didn't want to disturb Prim, who would likely be restless. She quietly slipped into her bed without waking Prim and faced the wall. Did Aspen really like him? She sighed and shook her head. There was no way that Katniss would know for sure how Aspen felt about the boy from District 2. Not unless she made it out. And she would.

Not far away Gale was thinking the same thing. He laid in bed and grabbed his hunting knife, facing the wall and twisting his knife slowly against the wood. There were carvings everywhere from Katniss, Aspen, and himself when they were younger. One carving in particular caught Gale's eyes and he smiled. It was a small heart that had been in the wall since Gale was twelve. There were two sets of initials. G.H and A.A. which made Gale really smile for the first time since she'd left.

Aspen had carved it into the wall after she'd been injured in a hunting accident. Gale had nursed her back to health and she had put it on the wall once she was able to move around again. She had told him that she would always love him the day that she had carved it. That was the day that he'd fallen in love with her. He let his hand linger on the wall and he made himself a promise. If Aspen made it back the first thing that he would do was tell her how he felt. Gale traced the pattern over and over again, all night long, and only fell asleep once the alarms to signal the start of another day of coal mining began to ring.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

In The Arena Control Room...

The screens in the Control Room were flashing back in forth between the Tributes as the day began. No one was quite ready to be up and about yet. It seemed that all of the Tributes were settling into a routine. Not that it was uncommon. It was getting to be the midway point and the Tributes that remained were getting smarter about things. They knew where to avoid and what places would offer them relative safety. Not that there was ever really a safe place to be in the Hunger Games. Everywhere would offer some danger.

Currently Seneca Crane was slowly pacing back and forth nervously. But it wasn't because of the relatively demure past few days. He was nervous for the same reason that he had been nervous about for the past two weeks. All because of President Snow and Seneca's attempts to live up to the high expectations that were set by him. After President Snow had come to visit the Control Room on the sixth day no one had seen him. It wasn't uncommon for the President to hide out in his mansion to watch the Games but he normally dropped by to check in. Particularly if there was a Tribute that had caught his eye.

Just like Aspen Antaeus had done. But they hadn't seen him and there had been no word from the President either. That put Seneca on edge. He had done what the President had asked of him but he had no idea if the President was actually happy with what he had done. Aspen had survived the mutt attack and was now mostly healed. She still had the cracked rib but that was nothing that the Capitol couldn't fix if she won. The Capitol always fixed the outside scars that the Victor had received in the arena. It was the internal wounds that had nothing that could be done.

Shaking his head, Seneca looked over the screens that showed the Tributes. There had been no deaths in the arena yesterday and as much as the Capitol people were excited to see what would come from Aspen's birthday, they missed the blood. It had been two days since a death and the last one hadn't been particularly violent. It had been over pretty fast. A Tribute would have to die soon or they would be forced to release another mutt. Despite the fact that President Snow had ordered that no more mutts be set on Aspen, Seneca had a bad feeling that the next mutt that they would release would be for her.

He just couldn't believe that President Snow really wanted her to live. She had done so much damage in the little time that she had been in the arena. It was hard to believe right now, seeing her curled up in her tree. Seneca hated the thought of setting another mutt on her. This time he would be forced to make sure that she didn't live through the fight. There was a small movement on the leftmost screen and Seneca glanced over at it. Cato Hadley was the first of the Careers to wake and he looked out to the direction that he knew Aspen was currently hiding.

Since two nights ago the Careers had moved back to their stockpile and the mines had been fully reactivated. Seneca had to admit that it was actually a good idea and he had been impressed with Ethan. No other Tribute had ever thought to do that. It was a good way to save himself but the kid still wouldn't win. Some of the other Careers were beginning to stir but most were still sleeping soundly. Most of the other Tributes were up and about but there were a number that were lingering around their camps. Seneca hated it when they did that. It made for a boring Games.

For once he actually prayed that Cato went to go find Aspen. It would make the day much more interesting and he might not have to alter his precious arena. The arena was his baby and he didn't want President Snow to order an earthquake or other natural disaster. The doors to the Control Room slid open and Seneca sighed as he continued to stare at the screens. All chatter in the room went silent and Seneca turned to ask what had happened. But right as he whirled around he was met face-to-face with President Snow, who was wearing a cruel smile. Seneca gulped deeply.

"Good morning, President Snow," Seneca greeted.

Without any words President Snow led Seneca out of the room, who followed obediently. Seneca ordered Artus to take over the Control Room in his absence and the man nodded. He watched Artus take his place at the center console before the doors slid shut. He had thought that the President would want to talk with him in the hall like he had done the other morning, but Snow ushered Seneca down the hallway. The pair walked in silence down the hall and out of the Games Center. Seneca wondered where the President was going but it quickly dawned on his as he saw the huge mansion rise in the distance.

They were headed to the President's private home. Seneca was glad that it was a short walk to the manor because his legs began to shake. The Head Gamemaker had only been to the President's home a few times and they had all been for social gatherings. He had never been with the President alone in his manor. The last time that Seneca had been inside the President's house had been at the party right before the Games. It had seemed so lively and full of life then. Now it seemed cold and had an ominous air about the place. They rounded another corner and President Snow took a seat, ushering Seneca to join him.

The Peacekeepers that were standing in the corners of the room were dismissed and Seneca took a deep breath. For a brief moment he wondered why he had ever taken the job as Head Gamemaker in the first place. All it did was stress him out and make him paranoid. But it was the job that he had wanted since he was a kid. President Snow poured himself a drink and Seneca found that his eyes were glued to the drink. The Head Gamemaker knew what the President drank from time to time. It made everyone uneasy. Even the cruelest of Gamemakers.

But the President poured Seneca a glass and he took it with a small nod. Sniffing the drink slowly he realized that it was only wine and he joined the President in a toast. "To an eventful second half of the Games," President Snow said.

"Absolutely," Seneca added, smiling weakly.

He took a long sip and set the glass on the table, wondering what it was that the President had brought him here for. It had to be something that he wouldn't want just anyone to hear. There would be no other reason that they would be in President Snow's private mansion.

"How many Tributes do we have left? Thirteen?" President Snow asked.

Seneca nodded to the other man. "Yes, sir," Seneca said.

The President nodded for a moment and turned to Seneca with a wicked grin. It was obvious that he had a terrible plan. "It's been a slow Games," President Snow said.

"The Hunger Games have had plenty of things to entertain the Capitol people. We've had no reason to rush them along," Seneca said carefully.

"Fair point. But that means that we haven't even disposed of half of the Tributes. I want one death today and I don't care who it is."

Seneca nodded but it didn't matter. The President wasn't looking at him, instead he looked lost in thought. "Yes, sir," Seneca said softly.

"The boy from District 9... he's still alive, isn't he?" Snow asked.

Seneca nodded. "Yes, sir."

"What did he score in training?" Snow asked.

Out of instinct Seneca sniffed the glass again and hoped that it hadn't been poisoned. The last thing that he wanted to do was die before the Games were even over. But he knew that it would be a stupid thing for President Snow to do. Seneca was in the middle of the Games and losing the Head Gamemaker before it even ended would be a problem for everyone. Snow would at least wait until they were over. Seneca was safe for at least a few more days. Besides the glass seemed that it hadn't been tampered with.

So Seneca thought back to the boy from District 9. He had been one of the less impressive Tributes but he hadn't been pathetic. He seemed like he would have had a decent shot with a knife in a close range fight but that was probably only if he had met a weaker Tribute. He would die easily at the hands of the Careers and that would be no fun. That only left a few other Tributes to send him after. Or maybe Snow wanted to let another mutt loose. That would be easier. President Snow raised his eyebrow and Seneca jumped. He had been so busy thinking about the Tribute that he had forgotten about the question.

"I believe he scored a seven in training, sir," Seneca answered politely.

The older man nodded and tipped the glass back, draining the rest of the red wine. Or at least what Seneca hoped was red wine. "Not bad for an outlying District," Snow said.

The boy had actually presented himself rather well in his private training. "It's a little above average," Seneca said.

"But nothing compared to a twelve," Snow said, to himself more than to Seneca.

The Head Gamemaker nodded and sighed internally. So that was what Snow was planning. He wanted to send the District 9 boy to Aspen. "No. He certainly doesn't match for aim," Seneca said.

"Speaking of twelves... Today Miss Antaeus turns nineteen, correct?" Snow asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Unfortunate she hadn't been born a few days beforehand. How sweet for her... Make sure she gets something from me today. Give this to her at the end of the day when Cato is with her," President Snow ordered and Seneca looked down.

President Snow handed the Head Gamemaker a small box and Seneca took it gently. The box weighed almost nothing and Seneca couldn't help but wonder what it was. He didn't trust that it wasn't a bomb or something that would kill the Tribute the moment that she opened the box. He took the box and nodded, slipping it into his pocket. If it really was something as sensitive as a bomb, President Snow would have told him. Right? Seneca downed the rest of his wine, eager to leave the presence of the President and get back to the Control Room. But there was something that was itching in the back of his mind.

"Sir? How do you know that Cato Hadley will be with Aspen tonight?" Seneca asked.

Snow laughed lightly and bared his now tinted red teeth to Seneca, who found the gesture terribly disturbing. He loved the blood and fighting in the Games, but those were the Games. There was something deeply unsettling with it coming from President Snow, who held Seneca's life in his hands. Seneca's skin erupted with goosebumps and the Head Gamemaker was glad that he had no skin showing or else he knew that President Snow would have made a comment on it.

"Because, Seneca, everyone has a role to play in these Games. And that is Cato Hadley's role. He will be the one that grows close with her and when it comes to the end he will slaughter her. Because that is her role to play. She will be torn about what to do with the boy that she falls in love with. Finally she will realize that she can't kill him and she will die at his hand; the ultimate betrayal. The people will be torn over who to side with but when Cato wins these Games they will know that he was always the rightful winner. Their story will be the new tragedy that is told for centuries. These will be a Games to remember forever. And it all depends on you, Seneca. You just have to play your part," President Snow said, smirking at the younger man.

Sweat was beading on the Head Gamemakers' face and he knew that he would need to get air soon or he might pass out. He was sure that he would pass out. He gulped deeply and fingered the rim of the glass, hoping that his grip wouldn't shatter the glass. Finally gathering the courage, Seneca looked President Snow bravely in the eyes and nodded.

"And what is my role?" he asked.

"To make sure that everyone else plays theirs," President Snow answered.

Seneca nodded slowly. "Yes, sir," Seneca muttered.

No matter what the other Gamemakers or Capitol people wanted, this was the way that it was going to play out. Cato and Aspen would be the last two alive and he would kill her. Just like he had promised her on multiple occasions. Seneca had no idea how he was going to make sure that Cato killed her but hopefully he would have time.

"You may go now, Seneca. I believe your Tributes will be waking soon," the President said.

"Thank you, sir," Seneca said.

On numb legs Seneca made him way out of the President's mansion, nearly knocking over a few of the stone busts. A few Peacekeepers asked him if he was okay but Seneca merely ignored them. He didn't want to talk. He would likely throw up his breakfast and the wine. He got back to the street that connected the mansion to the Games Center and he quickly made his way back into the building, breathing heavily. The walk wasn't very long but it made him sick to his stomach. He had the terrible feeling that someone was following him.

Instead of taking the stairs as he normally did he climbed into the elevator and watched as the numbers ticked up. Once they hit the thirteenth floor Seneca stepped out of the elevator and made his way back down the hallway. The Peacekeepers that were guarding the Control Room stepped to the side and Seneca made his way into the room. He excused Artus from the center console and the man nodded, taking his seat back in the corner of the room. Seneca looked over the screens and nodded.

It was still only mid-morning and the Tributes weren't being bothered with getting up early. Although Clove and Cato were already awake. Marvel was up too but he was currently out on a hunt for sleeping Tributes. He had been out for about an hour and had still had no luck. It looked like he was about ready to give up on the hunt. Aspen was sleeping in a tree and beginning to stir slightly. She would probably be awake within the hour. Seneca sighed and clicked around the map to get a closer look at what the male from District 9 was doing. He was awake and poking at the tip of his knife.

The boy was only a few miles away from Aspen and Seneca nodded. He had to do it. It was his life or Seneca's. He hated having to send the boy straight to Aspen but he knew that he had to do it. And he also had to wake Aspen up. He hit the button for bird chirping noises and Seneca watched as she started to shift in the trees a little more. She would be up in a matter of minutes. Seneca then turned to the boy from District 9. He had to be careful to not alert any other Tributes - including Aspen - that something was coming her way.

Pressing the buttons for animal noises, Seneca laid a path that would lead the boy to the river that Aspen was sleeping by. She had found the river yesterday while she was walking and seemed to have decided to stay there for the time being. The boy looked up in horror and began to move away from his camp, headed right to that river. Please stay in that tree today, Seneca silently pleaded. He fished through his pocket and took out the small box that President Snow had given to him. He sat it on the console and sighed, turning his head to the talking pair of Careers.

At The Career Camp...

He knew this day better than any other. Besides Reaping Day, that is. It was the girl from District 12's birthday. Aspen Antaeus was turning nineteen today. It made her technically too old to be in the Games. Cato Hadley was in a similar situation. He really wasn't that much younger than Aspen. He turned nineteen in twelve days. But unlike Aspen, he didn't plan to have his birthday inside the arena. He had always planned to have it back in District 2 with his friends and family in his new home in Victor's Village.

It had been the plan that he had always had. He used to talk about it with the rest of his family. They were by no means poor - they were actually one of the wealthiest families in District 2 - but they really wanted to have one of those homes in Victor's Village. His own home was nothing compared to the mansions that lined the front of the District. But that would mean that on that same day Aspen's friends would be back in District 12, devastated over the fact that their daughter had come so close to winning these Games but she had been back-stabbed. By the boy that she thought had feelings for her.

It made Cato's stomach turn, as much as he hated it. He did have feelings for her. That much Cato knew. He had seen pure white hot anger when she had been nearly killed by that boy the other day and he had been furious with her after when he had realized that she had almost died. She had been so weak during that fight. But then he had realized that she had nearly been torn in two by the mutt that had gotten to her two days earlier. He had thought that he had just been upset over the fact that she might die from something that wasn't him but it was no longer worth it to lie to himself.

He loved her. That was why he had been angry with her. He had been angry at the fact that she had nearly died. It was nice that he had found someone to love but he had no idea what to do about her. Would he be able to kill her? What would Dean, his brother, think if Cato died because he couldn't just kill some little girl that he hadn't even known two weeks ago? Two weeks ago this had been simple. Get in, kill anyone that he could, win, and go back home. He had promised Leah that he would come back home and he would spend his first day back with her. She had no idea why he had really even gone away.

There had been so many girls that had come through his life before. A number of them were girls that he trained with in the Academy. They would amuse him for a few weeks before he got bored of them. He would then find a new one. Every girl in the Academy knew that he was the boy that was impossible to win over. No one had even come close. Until her. He had told her the story of the rabbit during hunting class after only knowing her for a week. No one - not even his family or best friends - knew the truth. Only her. This had become way too hard and it was all over one little girl.

Cato sighed deeply and made himself a promise. After today - since he had promised her that he would make it to her birthday - he would avoid her until the Death Match. Once that time came he would block her out and kill her. He would be the stone cold killer that he had always been taught to be. The trainers in District 2 taught you to leave out all feelings about killing and that was what Cato had done... until he had met Aspen. At first it really had been to just mess with her but somehow she had managed to worm her way into his heart. Maybe it was on accident but she had done it.

The toughest Career dropped his head into his hands and sighed deeply. He raised his head back up and glanced out in the direction that he knew Aspen had last been in. She usually stayed within about five miles of the cave so it wouldn't be too hard to find her. There was a soft padding of footsteps behind Cato and he didn't even need to turn to know who it was. Clove sat down next to him and stared into the distance at the sun that was rising to the center of the arena. She turned her knife in her hand slowly and Cato snorted.

It was such a typical thing for Clove to do. She did it all the time. During training and in her spare time. Cato had known her for a long time and the two had been friends long before she was Reaped. They had trained together and made a good team. They were usually the two that worked together. Cato had been close range and Clove had been at a long distance. Between the two they had been unbeatable at the training center in District 2. They had always known that they made an effective team. They had made a promise that they would be able to kill each other from the beginning.

It was a 'may the best man win' type of thing. People had thought that they were a couple and both would always recoil in digest. While Cato was a little soft for the younger girl he could never be with her. They fought all the time and each one always wanted to be right. Aspen was the same way but she wasn't the cold killer that Clove was. And for some reason he liked that. Not to mention that he was without a doubt attracted to Aspen. Cato was sure that all of his friends were laughing at him back home - mainly his male friends - but it didn't matter. He would still be a Victor.

Although he would never be the same once he got back home. He would never be the kid that was dying to get to the Academy in the morning. He would be sick every time that he saw it. And her eyes... They would haunt him forever. She was incredibly sweet while still being strong. It made something twinge in Cato that he'd never known before. Clove spun the knife a few more times before launching it at the ground. They both watched it as it stuck into the grass. The younger girl sighed and turned to Cato, punching his shoulder.

"What?" Cato asked snappily.

"Well, go," she hissed.

"What?" Cato asked, dumbly this time.

"Marvel is still gone but he'll be back soon. You know that he'll ask questions if he gets back before you leave. I'll tell him you heard a noise and went to check it out," Clove told Cato with the roll of her eyes.

Turning to her like she had just slapped him, Cato stared at the younger girl. "What do you mean?" he asked her stupidly.

Cato thought that she might pick up the knife to throw it at him. She did stand to get her knife but she merely sat back down and began to twirl it again. "Don't be stupid," Clove snapped.

Cato raised his eyebrow. "Last I checked I had better grades than you," Cato said.

"Then you should have been smarter. You might have wanted to check that some of us were really asleep before you went up to visit her the other night," Clove said slowly.

Cato opened his mouth to defend himself. "You didn't do anything -"

She held up a hand and stopped him in his tracks. "I saw you. I don't care, Cato. I wasn't going to get into a fight with you over her. That's why I stayed silent. You're a big boy. You can do what you want. I think you're being stupid but that isn't up to me," Clove said.

"Did anyone else hear?" Cato asked.

"No. But I'm shocked that they didn't realize." Clove leaned over and pulled back his jacket. "That's hers, right? Her token?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"She'll want it back," Clove said. Cato glanced over at her confusedly. "Even I'm not that heartless. Give it back to her."

"Alright."

"That's a Mockingjay, isn't it?" Clove asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you know who gave it to her?"

"No."

"She's a moron for having it on her," Clove scoffed. Even Cato had to agree with her there. "I know she said that it was her birthday and you're sitting here like a scolded puppy. So, go. Go find her and have a birthday date or whatever. I don't care."

Cato laughed at her. He stood and patted her on the shoulder to which Clove threw his hand off of her. "I'll be back tonight," Cato called back.

"Whatever." He was about to make his way into the woods but Clove's voice stopped him. "Just know that if it comes to the point that I don't think that you can kill her I will take things into my own hands," she said with a dark glare.

For a moment Cato wanted to challenge her. But it wasn't worth the fight. She was right. Something would have to be done about Aspen soon. "I know," he said, turning and walking into the woods, heading to find his birthday girl.

In The Woods Of The Arena...

Yawning under my breath I sat straight up and looked around. It felt almost like I was in the middle of the woods back in District 12. I couldn't help but to wonder if that was what the arena was modeled after this year. It was a little plainer this year than it had been in past years. Maybe it was because they just wanted Cato and I to speak to each other more often. I wasn't sure. Maybe they were trying to make it easier for the Tributes to interact after the half-tundra and half-ruined city last year.

The sun was up high in the sky and it must have already been about noon. There had gone most of my day considering that I was going to sleep at around nine o'clock these days. Once the sun set there was about nothing that I could do anymore. And things got dangerous in the arena at night. My entire body was exhausted. I hated sleeping in like that. It made me feel weak and sluggish once I woke up. I never slept this late. Why now was it that I slept in this late? It only made me groggy.

Of course there was nothing else that we could really do. Besides hunt down some poor Tribute to slaughter. Not today. I looked myself up and down and sighed. I had made it to the one week point and if another Tribute died today we would be down to only half of the Tributes left. So few Tributes had died. Normally they went much faster. Something amusing must have been happening somewhere else in the arena if they hadn't pushed us together yet. Maybe I was the entertainment. It didn't matter. I would take the boredom over another fight with a mutt.

The marks that were all over my torso and back, along with the stab wound on my leg, were now completely healed. It had been about two days since I'd gotten the medicine and it had managed to completely seal my wounds, much to my pleasure. I was no longer in danger. The scars that were left were uglier than any other ones that I had but at least I was alive. And all I had to do was thank Cato freaking Hadley. His stupid kiss was the reason that I was still alive after my fight with the District 8 male.

That damned kiss. All day yesterday I had stumbled around with a goofy grin on my face. The Capitol people had likely been thrilled with my reaction. It was obvious enough to see the excitement in my eyes. All because stupid Cato had given me the stupid kiss to get the stupid medicine. It had only increased my infatuation with him. Around midday I had climbed up the tree that I was in now and had stayed there all night. It was mostly because I had been afraid that I would remember the kiss and some Tribute would sneak up on me and kill me.

If I died in these Games it didn't matter who it was that took my life. Because no matter what it was going to be his fault. He was the one that kept kissing me and he kept making me regret ever wanting to take out my revenge on him. But he was also the one that had let me go and he was the reason that I was still alive. I had no idea what to think about Cato. He was the thing that kept me fighting but he was also the reason that I wanted to give up. There was almost no way that I would be able to live with knowing that I had killed him.

There had to be something that I could do. Maybe sometime soon I would have to recruit Thresh to kill him for me. We were kind-of allies, right? But then that would mean that I would have to fight against Thresh and that might be just as bad. Not for my feelings for him, but Thresh would flatten me. Rue was still out there too as was Peeta. I could never kill Rue. She reminded me too much of Prim. And Peeta... despite the fact that he had sold me out I still wouldn't be able to bring myself to kill him. I sighed silently, wishing that I had never talked to these people in the first place. Maybe it would make things easier.

Most of that was Haymitch's fault. He should have never made Peeta and I speak to each other. It had only gotten us to become friendly with each other. I should have listened to Haymitch's initial advice and ignored Cato. But he was now telling me that the two of us were supposed to be together. Why? Wouldn't that just continue making the end of the Games even harder? Shaking my head clear of my thoughts I untied myself from my tree branch and wrapped the rope back up, nearly falling a few times as I placed it back in my pack.

The branch that I was on was thin but it was the only tree that would have worked if I had wanted to stay close to the water source. I'd been shocked to stumble on it yesterday. It was the only time yesterday when I hadn't been thinking about Cato. My jaw had dropped and I'd laughed a little bit - which had led me to making a quick circle around the small lake to make sure that I hadn't accidentally drawn a Tribute to me. But the lake was well-hidden in a darker and more ominous part of the arena. I was probably taking a risk being out here but being near the water was my best bet right now.

After the rope was back in my pack I rolled my blanket up carefully. Once it was as tight as I could get it I stuffed it along the edges of my pack and closed it. I wrenched the knife out of the side of the tree and smirked. Just where I left you. Just in case there had been an emergency in the middle of the night I had gotten used to doing that. Not that these knives were great for throwing. Clove had the best of the throwing knives. I had the sword but it wasn't very useful with far distances. I might not ever use it again but it had saved me from the mutt so I had become rather attached to the thing.

Tightening the laces on my boots I went to stand up but a low beeping stopped me. I glanced up and realized that a Sponsor package was hanging from the branch above me. I smiled and stood carefully, grabbing the package. I pulled my pack on and straddled the branch. I hoped that it was food. I was starving. I unscrewed the lid and set it down behind me. There was a plastic package inside and I pulled it out. Inside was a small cupcake and I laughed lightly. The note inside was sticking against the box that the cupcake and I grabbed it, pulling it off.

Happy birthday, sweetheart. See that you make it to the next one -H

"Thank you," I whispered.

I laughed and set the package behind me, grabbing the box that held the colorful food. I popped the top of the box off and excitedly looked in. I had been so busy thinking about what the hell Cato was doing to me that I hadn't even thought about the fact that today was my birthday. I was nineteen years old today. It made me technically too old to be in the Games. We were cut off at eighteen. I wondered if they would pull me from the Games as a violation of the rules but that would probably be worse. They would probably execute me and say that my being born on this day was my fault.

I'd rather take my chances with fighting my way out of this. Taking the cupcake in my hand I hummed to myself and sang under my breath. "Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday happy birthday, happy birthday to me. And many more," I added lowly, hoping that no one had heard me in the Capitol.

But it was very easy to hear everything. The microphones that were hidden in the tree would be able to pick up everything that I said. I glanced back down at the cupcake and my eyes brightened. I recognized the decorative writing on it and the icing was only found back home. This had come from the Mellark's bakery. Who the hell had sent this to me? Was it Haymitch? My friends? Or maybe the Mellark's had sent it to me for sparing their son. After all, Mr. Mellark had come to visit me before I'd been taken away.

The cupcake had Aspen written across the top in a neat hand and I smiled. Although I quickly frowned when I realized that Peeta's brothers probably did it. The brothers that hadn't tried to save his life. Trying to ignore that thought I unwrapped the plastic that was around the bottom of the dessert and quickly ate it. There was icing across my face and I laughed lightly, wiping it off. I probably looked like a fool right now but I didn't care. This was the most sugar that I'd had at one time. Whoever had done this was an angel sent from above.

For a moment I wondered if it had just been a normal Sponsor that had asked me to get something from home. Either way, they were getting a huge hug when I got back home. Even if it was someone as disgusting as Marcus, the Sponsor that I had first danced with at Snow's party. Folding up the paper that had held the cupcake I slipped it back into the tube and slipped the note that Haymitch had sent me into my pack. I slid over the edge of the branch and dropped down onto the next branch.

The branches were spread pretty far apart and I had to be careful to not go plummeting to the ground. I slowly made my way down to the grass and pulled a knife out. The little snack had been good but I needed meat. My food yesterday had been minimal. Only two pieces of dried fruit and a small piece of the dried meat. It wasn't that I had starved myself though. I hadn't exactly been very hungry. All day my thoughts had been only of Cato and I had forced the blush to go down on my face when I had thought about what might have happened if there were no cameras around.

But that wasn't me. I wasn't one of the girls that he was so fond of back in District 2. He had made it obvious enough that he had been with a number of girls before - which for some reason set my teeth on edge. It drove me nuts. I hated thinking that someone else had done even more with him. He was experienced while I had barely done anything. I had kissed Gale once but had barely been coherent for the kiss. And there had been a few heated kisses with Cato. That was it. I had never even kissed anyone until Gale had sprung the kiss on me before he had left. Cato had likely done almost everything.

The primal part of me that wanted nothing more than to drag Cato back to the cave that he liked to come and visit me every once in. I had forced myself to push those feelings back down. Perhaps it was because I was afraid that I would die here or I just wanted some human contact but I prayed that Cato would be here soon and that he would stay for most of the day. It wasn't even that I was being hormonal. I just wanted some company. These Games were so boring and after being left alone all day yesterday with nothing but my thoughts I was praying that I could have some banter with him.

For a moment I couldn't help but to wonder if he would actually come today or not. Maybe he had kept my Mockingjay pin so that he would have some reason to say that he would have to come visit me. And then he would never show up and I would be stupid and go looking for him. Once I found him maybe the Careers would ambush me and kill me. But it wouldn't be fast. It would be a slow and painful torture, just like the dream that I had before I had ever even made my way into the arena. Maybe the whole liking me and getting me to trust him was just a ruse.

Or maybe it was me just trying to find a reason not to trust him. As much as it bothered me I actually did trust Cato. For some stupid reason I trusted him with my life. It wasn't that I had no reason to trust him. I actually had quite a good reason to trust him. I had more of a reason to trust Cato than I did to trust Rue, as stupid as that was. Rue had never said that she wouldn't hurt me. Not that I thought that she really would. But Cato, he had saved me enough times that I realized that it had become obvious that he would never let anyone hurt me. The only person that would hurt me on his watch was him.

But the question remained... Could he do it? He swore that he could but I saw the same thing in his eyes that I was sure that he saw in mine. Doubt. We both doubted that we would ever be able to kill the other. It was just getting worse with each passing day. We had both come here with missions that we were determined to complete. He wanted to win so that he could bring honor back to his District after their loss last year and I wanted to get revenge on the people who had killed my parents. We had both been on the right track. Until we met each other.

And in the back of my mind I knew that Cato wouldn't hurt me. Not until the Death Match came around. He had saved my life during the Bloodbath. The boy from District 6 could have easily killed me. He would have been blind but he would have been alive. Cato had kept me safe. He had saved my life again when it came to the infection after the wolf mutt had attacked me. He'd saved me from Jason and had then given me the kiss that had gotten me my medicine. He was definitely the reason that I was still alive. And it went both ways. I had saved him from the girl from District 3.

There was a small crack behind the bush and I turned back quickly with my knife raised. Just like the other day, it was too quiet to be a Tribute. It was probably an animal. Hopefully something small like a squirrel or rabbit. Not that I enjoyed killing them but I needed to eat or else I wasn't going to make it through another fight. I could feel myself getting weaker by the hour with no real food in me and as good as the cupcake was it hadn't done anything for my blood sugar. It had spiked it for a little while but now it was plummeting back down quickly. I needed something to eat.

I'd been going without meat for a number of days. Real meat. The dried beef was something but it wasn't enough. There was another crack to my left and I quickly turned to follow the noise. A bush right in front of me shook and a small squirrel darted out in front of me. Not giving it any chance to get away I pulled back my hand and tossed it right at the animal. The poor thing tried to avoid the knife but it was too slow. My knife sailed through the air and landed in the skull of the squirrel with a small squish. I grimaced at the noise and walked up to the now dead animal.

I pulled my knife free of the head and wiped the blood off on my pants. I stashed the knife and pulled the hunting knife free from the top of my pack. Grabbing the dead squirrel by the torso I slit the throat of the animal and held it by its tail, waiting for the blood to drain slowly. Once the animal had been bled as far as it could I went to work skinning it. I wished that Gale was here to do it for me. I hated doing it myself. It was gross work. Once I had pulled the inedible organs out of the animal I grabbed the meat and pulled it - with the bones - out of the body.

Easily I started a fire and gathered a small stick so that I could skewer the meat. I watched as the meat turned over time after time and it began to char a dark red color and then almost to a black. The last thing that I wanted to do was poison myself. Once the animal meat was cooked long enough I stamped out the fire and destroyed my small set up just in case there was a Tribute near me. I placed myself nicely on a fallen log and went to work on the squirrel. The meat wasn't a lot but it was enough to tide me over until tomorrow in case I got no more food for the day.

When I thought about this birthday compared to my last I nearly laughed. They were so different. Last year I had been with Katniss, Prim, Gale, Ms. Everdeen, Madge and even Greasy Sae. We had all gathered inside of the Everdeen household and we had eaten a rather large hog that Gale had managed to grab that day. I remembered how happy I had been to see all of the meat that was sitting on the table. It was better than anything that they could have gotten me as a present. It was enough to feed all of us that night and we had eaten even more the next day with all of the leftovers that we had gotten.

They had all gotten me presents too. It was the first birthday that I could remember since I was ten that had come with presents. We hadn't been able to afford anything after I'd turned ten with Prim getting older and needing more things. I hadn't wanted them. I'd even demanded that they didn't. It had been a day to celebrate that I hadn't been Reaped that year, not a day to give me things that I didn't need. But everything that they had given me made me glad that they had ignored my requests. I couldn't have been surprised anyways. They never did listen to me.

Greasy Sae had given me a pretty wooden painting of a girl that was standing over a small hill. I had assumed that she had either done it herself or it might have been something that she had traded with one of the other Hob vendors. The painting was tiny. It was no bigger than a dinner dish but it was everything that I wanted. I had hung it up once I had gotten home that night. It was still hanging in the corner of the house back home. Sae had told me that it reminded her of me. Strong but beautiful. It was the most amazing thing that I had ever heard the woman say.

Ms. Everdeen had given me enough money to buy myself food for the week. I had begged her not to give it to me but she had ignored me and made sure that I didn't try to slip it back to her. She knew that I was light handed. I had ended up sharing most of the food that I'd gotten with the Everdeen girls. Madge had given me a gorgeous ring with a small 12 carved into the back of it. The thing was simple and gold but I never wore it because I was afraid I would break it. The ring did sit on my dresser so that I could always see it. If she hadn't given me the Mockingjay pin I would have likely taken that as my token.

Prim had given me a small hair band that had red sparkles on it. I could tell that the young girl had made it herself so the present had meant the world to me. I had worn it every day for months but when a Peacekeeper had gotten a little rough with me they had broken it. I had felt terrible for breaking it but Prim had promised me that she would make me another this year. I couldn't help but wonder if she ever had kept her promise. Katniss had given me a throwing knife with my initials carved into it and a twelve on the handle. I never used it to hunt but I always kept it mounted on my wall just in case.

Gale had told me that he couldn't give me my present in front of everyone. I hadn't understood what he'd meant but I had nodded and waited for the party to end. It had made me excited the entire night. Gale was never much for birthdays or presents so I knew that it would have to be something good. Greasy Sae had left first and Madge had gone not long after her. Ms. Everdeen had told Gale and me to leave, telling us that they could take care of the mess. We had happily obliged. We usually always had to clean up.

Gale had taken me out to our usual hunting spot and made us look at the stars. All night he had pointed different stars out to me and late that night we had fallen asleep together. We had woken up the next morning from being caught by Katniss. It had taken us weeks to convince her that nothing had happened between us. Looking back it was hilarious. Looking back I wondered if Gale had wanted to kiss me that night. If he had I would have responded. It was the one night that I could remember really having any feelings for him. Maybe we would have been together. Maybe it would have changed everything.

This year everything was so different. I was by myself waiting on a boy that could kill me at any moment. I was starving and dehydrated too. I was torn up from a fight with a mutt straight out of my nightmares and around every corner there was a chance that someone or something was waiting there to kill me. Sighing at my thoughts I stood and picked up my canteen. I downed the water that was in it and let out a little groan. I was now completely out of water. I had to say that my trip to the desert area was well worth it. That water had lasted me forever.

Yesterday had been another productive day for me. For about an hour I'd forced myself to stop thinking about Cato and do something good with my time rather than just sitting and daydreaming - which would likely get a mutt set on me. I had finished camouflaging my backpack with mud, caught some of the little fish that were in the pond, and had dug up the roots of the pond lilies to make a nice meal. I was convinced that my productivity was what had stopped the Gamemakers from sending a mutt or natural disaster after us.

Now I was going to have to find something else to do today. I thought about heading around and trying to find another Tribute to hunt. The faster that we all died the faster that we could go back home. I decided to just walk and see what happened. Making sure that I hadn't missed anything I began to walk back to the river. I wanted to make sure that I would fill up my water canteens so that I might have been well enough off for the rest of the Games. That depended on how fast the last of the Tributes died.

It seemed like we would be here for a while longer. Sighing deeply at that thought as I reached the river I turned back to grab my canteen. Just as I turned back for the canteen a knife came whizzing by my face. I dropped to the ground quickly and started to crawl away. I would have to run until I knew who it was and how many weapons they had on them. Part of me hoped that it was just some cruel joke from Cato but I knew that it was another Tribute who wanted me dead. I turned back slightly from the tree and realized that it was the male from District 9.

My first instinct was to fight back. But I suddenly realized that fighting would have been very stupid. The only thing to do was run. The boy from District 9 must have realized that too. He hesitated just a few inches from me. The stampede of feet suddenly shook me from my stunned state. We both looked around in bewilderment, momentarily forgetting about the other. Suddenly my eyes started to water and looking around became much harder. But my stinging eyes could still see it. It would have been very hard to miss the wall of fire descending on us.

Without missing a beat I turned and sprinted from the clearing. Let the boy from District 9 die. But he quickly followed in my footsteps. Neither one of us were concerned with the others. We just had to run. We could deal with each other later. A tree immediately fell straight in front of me and I found myself briefly trapped with flames on each side of me. Which way? Which way?

The world had transformed to flame and smoke around me. That was fast. Burning branches cracked from trees and fell in showers of sparks at my feet. All I could do was follow the others, the rabbits and deer and even the wild dog pack that were shooting through the woods. I trusted their sense of direction because their instincts were sharper than mine. The boy from District 9 obviously knew that following me was the right thing to do. The animals were much faster, flying through the underbrush so gracefully as my boots caught on roots and fallen tree limbs, that there was no way I could keep pace with them.

The heat from the flames was horrible, but worse than the heat was the smoke, which threatened to suffocate me at any moment. I pulled the top of my shirt up over my nose, immediately becoming grateful to find it soaked in sweat. While it wasn't as good as a mask it was enough to offer a thin veil of protection. And I ran, choking, my bag banging against my still-sore back, my face was getting cut with branches that materialized from the gray haze without warning, because I knew that I was supposed to run.

Maybe Cato wouldn't get a chance to kill me. Maybe the flames would do it for him. Maybe this was a Gamemaker's cruel way of having me blow out my candles. If I wasn't so terrified I would have laughed. This wasn't a Tribute fire gone out of control. It wasn't an accident. The flames had an unnatural height, and a uniformity that marked them as human-made and machine-made. Definitely a Gamemaker. Thing were too quiet lately. Barely any deaths and perhaps no fights at all. The audience in the Capitol would be getting bored, claiming that the Games were verging on dullness. The Gamemakers couldn't let that happen.

Was my fight against the wolf mutt and Jason not enough? Evidently not. Haymitch did warn me that they would make my life in the arena hell because of my stunt in private training. Damn you, Haymitch! Not that it was his fault. Even if it wasn't my particular punishment, it wasn't hard to follow the Gamemakers' motivation. There was the Career pack and then there are the rest of us were likely spread far and thin across the arena. This fire was designed to flush us out and drive us together. It might not have been the most original device I'd ever seen, but it was very, very effective.

Katniss was probably back in District 12 finally realizing that my path to our hunting spot was a good idea. I was already trained for this. I hurdled over another burning log. Although it wasn't high enough. The tail end of my jacket caught on fire and I had to stop to rip it from my body and stamp out the flames. But I didn't dare leave the jacket, scorched and smoldering as it was. I took the risk of shoving it in my blanket, hoping that the lack of air would quell what I hadn't extinguished. My stop was long enough to spot that the boy from District 9 was still trailing me.

Knowing that the fire was faster than me I scrambled back to my feet. In a matter of minutes, my throat and nose were burning. The coughing started soon after and my lungs began to feel like they were actually being cooked. Discomfort turned to distress until each breath sent a searing pain through my chest. I managed to take cover under a stone outcropping just as the vomiting began. The Capitol people were likely cheering with glee. Get up. You're not dead yet. I lost my meager squirrel and cupcake and whatever water remained in my stomach. Crouching on my hands and knees, I retched until there was nothing left to come up.

I knew that I needed to keep moving but I was trembling and light-headed now, gasping for air. I allowed myself a spoonful of water to rinse my mouth and spit then take a few swallows from my bottle. The boy from District 9 was slower than me. He was coming up on me. I knew that now was the right time to take him out. One less thing to worry about. I raised a knife and threw. The fire had too much of an effect on me. He howled in pain as the knife sank into his lower stomach. It wasn't enough to kill him but definitely enough to slow him down. Although I had just lost another knife.

All I knew was that it was time to run again. But the smoke had clouded my thoughts. The swift-footed animals that were my compass had left me behind. Where was I supposed to go? I knew that I hadn't been in this part of the woods before. There were no sizable rocks like the one I was sheltering against during my earlier travels. Where were the Gamemakers driving me? Back to the lake? That would make no sense. To a whole new terrain filled with new dangers? Probably. Or maybe back to the Cornucopia. I had just found a few hours of peace at the pond when the attack began.

Was there any way I could travel parallel to the fire and work my way back there? I would need water after this. The wall of fire wouldn't burn indefinitely. Not because the Gamemakers couldn't keep it fueled. That would invite accusations of boredom from the audience. If I could get back behind the fire line I could avoid meeting up with the Careers or whatever else the Gamemakers wanted me to run into. I had just decided to try and loop back around, although it would require miles of travel away from the inferno and then a very circuitous route back, when the first fireball blasted into a rock about two feet from my head.

Move! That's what I was sure Katniss, Gale, and Prim were screaming. So I sprang out from under my ledge, energized by renewed fear. How I hadn't seen this one coming was beyond me. The game had taken a twist. The fire was just to get the two of us - and possible some others - moving. Now the audience was getting to see some real fun. No matter how much they liked me and the idea of me being with Cato, having me get crushed by a fireball was still fun. When I heard the next hiss I flattened on the ground, not taking the time to look. The fireball hit a tree off to my left and engulfed it in flames.

Staying still would be certain death. I was barely on my feet before the third ball hits the ground where I was lying, sending a pillar of fire up behind me. The boy from District 9 was no longer in sight but I knew that he was still alive. There hadn't been a cannon. Time lost meaning as I frantically tried to dodge the attacks. There was no way for me to really get out of the way. I just had to keep moving in a slanted pattern and hope that the Gamemaker that was controlling the fireballs couldn't get a lock on me.

There was a horrible scream behind me and I knew that the boy from District 9 had been hit. I couldn't be bothered to turn back. I couldn't see where the fireballs were being launched from but I knew that it wasn't a hovercraft. The angles weren't extreme enough. Probably this whole segment of the woods had been armed with precision launchers that were concealed in trees or rocks. They were likely waiting for me to stumble through them. Somewhere, in a cool and spotless room, a Gamemaker sat at a set of controls with their fingers on the triggers that could end my life in a second. All they needed was a direct hit.

As fun as it had been to throw a knife and launch arrows at the Gamemakers, I knew that this was my way of paying for it. Whatever vague plan I had conceived regarding returning to the pond was wiped from my mind as I zigzagged and dove and leapt to avoid the fireballs. At least I was used to all of this. Each one was only the size of a ball that the kids in the Seam kicked around, but they packed tremendous power on contact. Every sense I had went into overdrive as the need to survive took over. There was no time to judge if a move was the correct one. When there was a hiss, I either acted or died.

Something kept me moving forward. A lifetime of watching the Hunger Games was enough to let me know that certain areas of the arena were always rigged for certain attacks. Just like the wolf mutt that was designed to be released in the desert area of the arena at night. I knew that if I could just get away from this section, I might have been able to move out of the reach of the launchers. Although I might also then fall straight into a pit of vipers. I couldn't worry about that now. Two had already come close to burning off my right arm and searing right through my head.

How long I was scrambling along dodging the fireballs I couldn't say. It didn't matter how long it went on. The Capitol citizens wouldn't get bored for as long as I was trying to avoid them. But the attacks finally began to abate. Which was good, because I was retching again. It didn't stop me from running. This time it was an acidic substance that scalded my throat and made its way into my nose too. I was briefly forced to stop as my body convulsed, trying desperately to rid itself of the poisons I had been sucking in during the attack. I waited for the next hiss which would have been the signal to bolt. It never came.

The force of the retching had squeezed tears out of my stinging eyes. My clothes were drenched in sweat. Somehow through the smoke and vomit I picked up the scent of singed hair. My hand fumbled back to my braid to find that a fireball had seared off about six inches of it. It get getting a little too long anyways. It now hung just below my shoulder-blades. Strands of blackened hair crumbled in my fingers. I stared at them, fascinated by the transformation, when the hissing registered.

My muscles reacted but I wasn't fast enough this time. The fireball crashes into a rock right over my head, but not before skidding across my right thigh. Seeing my pants leg on fire sent me over the edge. I twisted and scuttled backward on my hands and feet, shrieking, trying to remove myself from the horror. When I finally regained enough sense I rolled the leg back and forth on the ground, which stifled the worst of it. I ripped away the flaming fabric with my bare hands, burning them. I sat on the ground a few yards from the blaze set off by the fireball. My thigh was screaming and my hands covered in red welts.

I was shaking too hard to move. If the Gamemakers wanted to finish me off, now was the time. Aspen Antaeus, the Girl on Fire. What a good laugh the Gamemakers must have been having over that one. I might have laughed if I was in a little less pain. Perhaps Cinna's beautiful costumes had brought on that particular torture for me. I knew that he couldn't have foreseen this. He must have been hurting for me because, in fact, I believed that he cared about me. But all in all, maybe showing up stark naked in that chariot would have been safer for me.

The attack was over. Already the arena looked untouched by the fire. Assholes. We must have been close to Cato. That had to have been the motivation behind the fire. Or just to get me away from the edge of the arena. Now came the problem of fighting him. The District 9 male's face was mostly burned off but he was still alive. And it looked like he was now blaming me for the burns. Get up. Get over it. Get moving! The smoke was still thick enough to kill us so I turned and ran again. Fighting would have been almost useless. I couldn't see more than fifteen feet in any direction and breathing was almost impossible.

My leg was in searing pain as I ran. It was almost impossible to see. The two of us were winding in and out of trees when it happened. I sprinted right into a thicker set of trees - away from the direction of some snapping twigs which might have been another Tribute trying to run away from our noises and the flames - when suddenly the ground was no longer underneath me. I'd run straight into a steep embankment because I couldn't see.

Unfortunately there wasn't enough time for me to stop myself. I kept silent hoping that the boy wouldn't see the drop-off. Maybe it would kill him. Immediately I slid downwards and hit a pile of dirt right below me. I grunted at the impact as pain radiated through my leg. It didn't stop there. I slid onto another long decline in the woods before rolling headfirst and sideways down the steep incline for at least twenty seconds. It wasn't until I sprawled out in the grass with leaves and dirt pressing into the burn that I realized how much excruciating pain I was in. It was also when I saw the boy from District 9 land next to me.

Get up. Get up. He's still behind you and angry. Slowly pulling myself from the ground I tried to run. Fighting was too hard. My lungs were burning, my eyes were almost useless, and my leg felt like it was still on fire. Maybe it was. I slipped around a tree hoping that I could make a run for it. But the boy heard me moving and peeled himself off of the ground. He tossed the knife that I had hit him with earlier back at me. I barely ducked out of the way as it skimmed my forehead. I grabbed it back and took off in a dead sprint. Hopefully the burns would slow him down. I needed to get the hell away from him.

Just as I turned back to check if he was behind me, I realized that it was empty. No flames and no other Tribute. Had he fallen to the ground, almost dead? There had been no cannon. But there was nothing behind me either. I raised my eyebrow and turned back to the front. But right as I turned back I met with him face to face. We had both been running so quickly that we slammed head on into each other. I grunted deeply and hit the ground. His skin was still boiling off because some of it was now on me. I screamed and jumped up, scraping it off of me. It was bubbling over his face and his eyes looked like they might have been half-melted. I knew that I would never forget his face for as long as I lived.

We both wobbled to our feet after the heavy impact but he was able to shake himself from his stupor first. The pain must have been keeping him awake. Coming at me full force he knocked me onto my back and I hit the ground with a thud. I brought my leg back up from behind me and jammed it into his knee. I heard his cry of pain but he didn't fall. My lungs were burning from the smoke and I could barely move. He managed to get on top of me and I panicked. I was trapped. His brought his fist down on my face and I cried out in sudden pain. I dug my hand into his now dislocated knee and he cried out in pain.

Cato's voice was - surprisingly enough - the one that came to me. The burns will be painful. Use them against him. Disgusted before even touching him, I reached up and pressed my fingers into his cheek. He roared in pain as he reached back and jammed a hidden knife straight into my own burn. My mouth dropped open in a scream that I knew could be heard all the way back in District 12. No one in their right minds would come to check out what was going on right now. His skin began to drip off onto my face and I knew that I was crying. I couldn't help it.

Out of anger he began to land punch after punch on my face and I cried out in pain. No matter how hard I dug my hand into his face, pulling off layer after layer of skin, he refused to move. My hands began to slip off of him as his hits landed even harder. The world was darkening. I had to something soon or else I would pass out on him. His face was probably so painful that he couldn't even feel it anymore. I had to change pace. Raising my knee I hoped that he couldn't tell what I was going to do. I could barely see. Both of my eyes were swelling shut. But his were melting. My entire face was drenched in blood.

Smoke was still clinging to us both. I was pretty sure that he had managed to break my cheekbone. I had to give it to him, he was determined to live. With one swift movement I sent my knee straight up and into his crotch. My knee crushed his manhood and for a moment I actually felt bad. But then I remembered that the reason that I could barely see right now was because of him. And the smoke. He rolled off of me and crunched himself up into a ball. Shaking my head free of the haze I stood shakily. I felt like a baby deer that was trying to walk for the first time. I took a few steps and pulled a knife out.

The flames hadn't killed me. There was no way that he was going to. I started to retch as I stepped forward but I refused to stop. If I ran I would give him another chance to attack me. It was time to end this. The boy only laid down for a moment before getting up and running at me. We stared at each other before heading straight for the other. We ran straight up to each other and tackled each other. I fell backwards and yelled as my head smashed against the rocks that were pointing up to the sky. I felt blood begin to rush down my face as the gash in my head opened again.

The boy flipped me over and without thinking I struck out. I caught him in the throat and he gasped for air. But he wasn't as foolish as the last person that I had fought. He didn't let go of me. He just sat on top of me. I tried to lift my knife up to his throat but he managed to wrestle it from me. With the handle in his hand and the point aimed down at me I jumped as he began to bring it down on me. Had I not moved he would have probably cracked my hipbone. But instead he stabbed me a few inches below my hip, right at the top of my thigh. Just above my burn.

It wasn't as painful but it still hurt. I screamed loudly at the pain and he made the foolish mistake of letting go of the blade. Despite the fact that I could barely see through the blood that was pouring down my face I reached to the blade and pulled it out, forcing myself to grit my teeth. Blindly I lashed out and slashed through his chest. He howled in pain and slapped me harshly across the face, backing off of me slightly. The impact had forced me to release the blade and it had gone sprawling. The world was spinning from the trauma to my head and I tried to get away from him by shimming out from under him.

We were both determined. He chased after me and caught me by my wounded leg. I shrieked in pain as he dug his hand into the burn. Dropping from my hands to my chest I coughed heavily and the world began to spin. I tried to stand but the boy was faster than me. He grabbed onto my hair and I hissed, trying to move out of his grip. He was grabbing me right by the roots of my hair. I kicked back a few times and made contact with his knee but he was determined not to let me out of his grip. Kicking out roughly he dropped to one knee and punched me in the spine.

I coughed and realized that blood was coming up. It was starting to become a familiar sight. I looked up from trying to trip him to see where he was taking me. When I realized where we were going my fidgeting became even stronger. He was leading me right to a river. Maybe the same one we'd come from. I wasn't sure. He was going to try and drown me. I began to thrash back and forth. He was having a hard time holding onto me. I hissed in pain as I pulled more hair out of my scalp. I would be bald by the end of this. Bald is better than dead. He dropped me at the edge of the river and I tried to get away.

But it was no use. He sat on my back. I tried to kick up but my legs were too short. As I continued to buck I knew that I was painfully grating against his crotch. Instead he stood and kept one foot on my back, making sure that he could keep me down. He used his other hand to force my head down into the water. I took a huge breath of air before I was shoved under. I had a limited amount of time to solve this problem. I knew one thing was that from my thrashing I had gotten the grass wet. It would be slippery. That was how I was going to have to solve this. All I had to do was knock him off balance.

Thanking whoever was looking out for me that I was flexible enough, I swung one leg up behind me and caught the back of his heel. I tugged slightly and gasped when I realized that I had knocked him off balance. He stepped off of my back to catch himself. I wasted no time. The world was beginning to go black. I knew that I needed to move fast before he realized what I was about to do. Pushing myself off of the bank of the river, I pushed myself onto the grass. The boy was quick and he grabbed me faster than I had anticipated. I had hoped that he would be slow enough so I could run and get the knife back.

Instead I rolled the two of us over and we went splashing into the river. He yelled as our limbs tangled together and we were thrown underwater. At least it felt good against the burn. His head hit mine and he kicked out at me. I knew that I would be the stronger swimmer. Gale and I used to go swimming all the time together. I put my knee against his body and pressed him under the water. He was taken underneath my body and I brought myself back above the river, coughing up the water that I had swallowed. He was thrashing around heavily under me but I refused to give up. It wouldn't be much longer now.

At least I had washed out some of the smoke from my eyes and throat. His movements slowed but with one movement I almost gave up on him. There was a searing pain in my lower stomach and I screamed loudly. He had another knife with him and he had just stabbed me. I didn't let up on him despite the fact that the wound was sending waves of pain through me and the fact that my intestines were probably fighting to stay inside of me. I grabbed his hand and forced the knife out of his grip. Once I was sure that he had released it I dropped his hand and wrapped my own around his throat.

My nails dug into his face and he screamed, losing the oxygen he had. For a few more moments he struggled against me and then he was still. I slipped off of him and looked around me in the water. The world was beginning to fuzz and I knew that any second now I would pass out. I had to get out of the water. All around me there was blood in the water - my own probably - and his corpse was floating in the water. A loud cannon boomed and I shook. It had been for him. I had killed him. I had drowned him after peeling his flesh off. Grabbing the bank of the river I pulled myself out of the water, crying out in pain.

Tears were slowly started to leak out. I couldn't stop them. I didn't care if another Tribute came. Put me out of my misery. As I hit the bank I crawled onto the grass, leaving a dark red trail behind me. The flesh of my leg was searing and the muscle was torn through by the knife. I was useless. My eyes were stinging with pain and I leaned over the retch up the rest of the poisons that I had inhaled during the fire water felt good on the burns on my hand. Ms. Everdeen had said to use cold water. But if I stayed in the water for too long I would lose consciousness and drown.

Waves of pain were shooting through me as I fought to get to my bag. I had dropped it just short of the river. If I could get it back in my arms and crawl under a fallen tree it would be safe for me to pass out. I just needed a nap. I wasn't dead. I wasn't going to die. I just needed to sleep for a while. I tried with all of my remaining strength to get to the bag but I could barely move. Still feeling the water and blood dripping off of me, I laid my head into the grass and coughed up blood before the world went black.

In District 12...

Primrose Everdeen was screaming for her older sister to let her out of the bedroom that they shared but Katniss Everdeen refused. She was doing what Aspen had asked. If it looked like she was in danger to take Prim out of the room and not let her watch. After the District 9 boy had started to punch Aspen, Katniss had forced her younger sister into the bedroom that they shared. She hadn't even wanted her to watch the fire attack but she knew that Aspen was the fastest runner in District 12. There was a chair blocking the door, making sure that there was no way that Prim could get out.

The older girl walked across the floor of her house and dropped her head into her knees. She could hardly stand to watch the screen but she knew that she couldn't shut it off. Aspen had nearly drowned in that fight but she had won and killed the District 9 male. That meant that she now had four kills and the arena was down to the last half of the Tributes. The largest screen was focused on Aspen's still form. She was laying on her stomach with a pool of blood behind her and the river filled with it too. The boy was still there, floating lazily. Aspen was completely still, looking like she was dead.

But no cannon had gone off yet. She wasn't dead. Not yet. There was still a chance that Katniss's best friend. The fire hadn't killed her and neither had the fight. She would be fine with time. Cato Hadley was looking for her right now to wish her a happy birthday. Katniss noticed that he had sped up slightly after seeing the flames engulfing one side of the arena and he had sped up a little more after hearing the cannon. Even Caesar was thinking that Cato was nervous that the cannon might have been for her.

For once Katniss wanted nothing more for him to find her. She knew that he would help her. He had to help her. Katniss began to cry and she was pulled into the strong form of her other best friend, Gale Hawthorne. She'd noticed that Aspen was crying too. Not from the pain. It was mental, not physical. She knew that for a fact. Katniss looked up and saw that Gale's eyes were shimmering too, but his tears hadn't fallen yet. He grabbed her closely and shielded her face from the screen, which he was watching intently. The boy from District 2 wasn't far from her and he prayed that Cato would find her.

Gale hated the boy but he needed him to find her. Save her, Gale pleaded to the screen internally. A package had fallen in front of Aspen's still form. Gale hoped that the ringing of the package would wake her, but she was dead to the world. He stroked Katniss on the head, trying to comfort the crying girl. But it had been a long time. He had never dealt with Katniss crying. The only time that he had ever seen Aspen cry was when she had broken her arm as a kid. Not only was Katniss crying, Gale felt like he was on the verge of tears. She was so close to death. Even Caesar was commenting that Aspen wouldn't make it to sunset.

The Gamemakers were showing footage of the Capitol. They had been cheering during the fire attack. They had been ready for her to die. Now it seemed that they weren't ready. They might have liked her just a little bit more than they had originally thought. Instead of celebrating like they normally would have they were in complete silence. Every face was locked onto Aspen's, each person praying that she would get up and get that medicine on herself.

"Gale, what if she dies?" Katniss asked.

"She won't."

"It's worse than when the wolf mutt got her. She's about to die!"

"She won't."

"What do we -?" Katniss ranted.

"Nothing," Gale said quietly.

Gale had shut her up with one word. A word that Katniss was shocked to hear. Had she not been so shocked she would have slapped her best friend. There was nothing that they could do. They had no money to afford a Sponsor gift anymore. They had spent all of their money on the cupcake they had sent her that morning. Besides she had medicine right next to her. She just needed to get up and do something about it.

"She needs him. She needs Cato. He's her only chance right now. If he loves her as much as he seems to he'll hunt her down because of that cannon and he'll save her. He's our one chance at getting her back," Gale said.

Katniss nodded and laid down in Gale's lap. Her sister had gone silent. So had the rest of Panem. Now that Aspen was literally on the verge of death no one could find the words to say anything. Katniss laid her head gently on her best friend's lap and closed her eyes, letting the rest of her tears slip out. She was soaking Gale's pants but he never said anything to her. He just let her lay there and held her hand. It was all they could do for now. Cato was coming close to Aspen's location and now all there was left to do was pray. Pray that he would save her and pray that she would let herself be saved.

By The River In The Arena...

My eyes cracked back open at the loud but muffled shouts that were coming not too far from me. It looked like a boy with blonde hair that was running up to me. Was he coming to kill me? I hoped so. There was a Sponsor gift right next to me and I tried to reach out for it but it was like I was paralyzed. I tried to call out to the man that was approaching me but it was like I was only a shell of a person, watching through my own eyes. For a moment I thought that I might be dead, but the pain was too much. There was no way. I was alive.

But I wouldn't be alive for much longer. I could tell. There was vomit by the side of my head and there was burned skin underneath my fingernails. I wanted to die. I wanted the next cannon to be for me. That was all that I wanted. I was done with this. The boy that was running up to me looked back. Maybe he hadn't seen me yet. I knew that his shocked expression was for the body of the boy in the river. He must have seen the damage that was done to his face. His eyes followed the trail of blood that led to me. When he looked at me his beautiful blue eyes stared at me in horror.

He might have been saying my name. I wasn't sure. He ran up to me and I could see his mouth was moving,but I heard nothing. He picked up my Sponsor package, wrapped it around his neck, and then grabbed me. He was still talking but I had no idea what he was saying. The air was white behind him and it was blinding. My eyes slipped shut and I could feel him shaking me. He grabbed me and picked me up. I felt myself cry out at the flashes of pain that radiated through me as he lifted me up. The pain shot through me in waves before I slipped into the black again.

Jumping up, I lashed out at the figure in front of me, who jumped back. I cried out at the sudden pain and was pushed back down by the person. "For fuck's sake... Sit still, damn it. I'm never gonna finish this if you keep moving," the voice said.

Somehow I hadn't died. I was still alive. Someone must have really been rooting for me. I worked on focusing my vision. When I finally did I realized that it was Cato. He was stitching up the side of my face that had been torn open by the rocks. He had cleaned me off as I could no longer feel the dirt and blood coating me. It must have been a while since the fight. It was dark out now. My hair was in front of my face and I froze at the sight of blood dried into the light blonde locks. With the exception of the ends that had been charred off. My face was swollen and I hissed when Cato pressed harshly against my face.

He rolled his eyes and pressed my arm back. "Why am I wet?" I asked weakly.

I should have been dried off by now. "Brought some water up here and soaked your clothes. I was trying to get the smoke off," Cato said.

"My eyes hurt," I groaned.

"I gave you some eye drops. You should be able to see again soon."

Everything hurt. Breathing hurt. Cato handed me a piece of paper and a small vial of something that appeared to be water, barking at me to follow the instructions. I was supposed to take the water, swash it around in my mouth and throat, before spitting it back out. I did so and immediately felt the smoke clear from my system. Breathing didn't hurt as much anymore. I looked around where we were. It looked like we were back in the cave that I had been in after the wolf mutt attack. There was a fire burning in the center of the cave and I cringed.

"Put that out," I groaned.

"You'll freeze."

"Put it out," I repeated.

Cato looked over at me and sighed. "Okay."

He put the fire out and I sighed. As Cato continued to work I glanced down at my hands. They were flaming red and seemed to be boiling by now. Using a knife would be useless until I could get some help for the burns. The little flames on my fingernails were beginning to chip off. I'd forgotten that they had even been done. I grimaced at them and started to chip them off even more. After today I had had enough fire for a lifetime.

Burns were common injuries in the Seam. I'd only been burned once before. I'd reached into the oven too fast and had briefly touched a hot coal. We cooked and heated our homes with coal. Even that had hurt terribly. Burns were the absolute worst pain to me. Then there were the mine accidents... From time to time the mine accidents wouldn't actually kill the people that were trapped. They were usually near-fatal but from time to time someone would live through them. The survivors normally had some pretty terrible burns. A family once brought in an unconscious young man pleading with Katniss's mother to help him.

The District doctor who was responsible for treating the miners had written him off and told the family to take him home to die. But they wouldn't accept it. He laid on the kitchen table, senseless to the world. I got a glimpse of the wound on his thigh, gaping, charred flesh, burned clear down to the bone, before running with Katniss from the house. We went to the woods and hunted the entire day, haunted by the gruesome leg, with memories of her father's death. Prim, who's scared of her own shadow, stayed and helped. Ms. Everdeen said healers were born, not made. They did their best but the man died, just like the doctor said he would.

"You're lucky. The burn isn't that bad," Cato said, interrupting my thoughts.

"Are you kidding?" I snapped.

"It could have been much worse. It could have been down to the bone. You could have lost your leg. With that fire that was out there you were lucky to even get out in the first place."

"You saw it?"

"It was hard not to. What happened?" Cato asked.

"I don't know. One second I was filling up my water canteen and the next second a knife was flying at my head. It was the boy from District 9. I was going to attack him when we saw it. There was a wall of fire. We forgot about each other and ran. He got skimmed in the face when the fireballs started. One hit my leg. When the fire stopped he tried to attack me. I think he thought that the fire was my fault. I ran and fell down the embankment back there. So did he. We fought. I won," I muttered.

"That's a big drop. You're lucky you didn't break anything," Cato said.

I let out a guffawing laugh. "Lucky is a relative term," I said.

"I saw him. That was one hell of a burn. You -"

"Don't say it. I don't want to think about what I did."

"You had to survive," Cato muttered.

"You didn't hear his scream..." I said, trailing off.

Cato fell silent. I knew that he didn't push to ask me more about what happened because at some point they would show it in the recap of the Games. During the Closing Ceremony they would show highlights of the Hunger Games, all the way back from the Reaping. It would mostly focus on the Victor but it would show everyone else too. Cato wasn't asking because there was the unspoken understanding. When he won the Games he would be able to see exactly what had happened during the fire attack.

As Cato started to clean up the burn on my leg I finally glanced down at it. The medicine was horrible but I knew that it would help. The flesh was a brilliant red covered with oozing blisters. I forced myself to take deep, slow breaths, knowing that the cameras were on my face. I couldn't show weakness at the injury. I had medicine now but I might end up needing more later. Pity didn't get you aid in the Hunger Games. Admiration at your refusal to give in did.

"You look like shit, Twelve," Cato finally said.

"I'd like to see you run from fireballs," I growled.

"I didn't piss of the Gamemakers."

"What makes you think that I did?"

"Notice that I haven't had fireballs tossed my way," he said.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well," I said loudly enough so that the cameras would know that I was talking to them, "if you're taking suggestions I would like to put in the fireball attack for the Careers."

Cato grinned at me. "Thanks for that," he said.

"Anytime."

"Oh, and happy birthday. Was it what you were expecting?" he asked, making me roll my eyes.

"Even more. I didn't think that I'd have a flame to blow out," I said.

The laughter in the Capitol was sure to be loud. I'd said it to half-compliment them at their attempt and half give them a slap in the face. Because they hadn't gotten me. My comment worked exactly the way that I wanted it to. There was a soft beeping from outside the cave and Cato grinned. He got up and walked over to the edge of the cave. A second later he reappeared with a Sponsor gift. He handed it off to me and I smiled. It was two rolls of bread with a new jacket.

"Here," I said, handing Cato one of the rolls.

He shook his head. "They're yours."

"One of them is yours. I wouldn't be alive if you hadn't found me out by the lake. Take it. Please," I said.

"Thanks," Cato muttered, taking one.

"Actually I think I'm the one that owes you a big thanks," I said.

Cato looked sideways at me. "For?" he asked.

"Don't be dumb. For saving me, you know? I got the medicine but I could have never gotten myself out of there if it weren't for you," I told him, with a sincere smile. "So thank you."

Reaching over, I briefly squeezed his hand. As Cato continued to clean the wounds I wondered what he was thinking. I wished that I could read his mind. I wanted to know what he was thinking. I wanted to know what the people back in District 2 thought. I was curious what his family thought about us. About me. If they were wondering if the fire would do me in. If they'd wanted the fire to do me in. I wondered if they were hoping that the Girl on Fire would finally be engulfed in her own flames. The thought made me snort.

Cato glanced up at me. "What could you possibly be laughing at?" Cato asked.

"Aspen Antaeus. The Girl on Fire. It's almost funny," I said, still giggling.

The people in the Capitol would probably think that I was delirious. But they would be laughing too. Because it was kind of funny. Even I could see the humor. Maybe it would earn me a pity Sponsor that would send me some food. Cato's jaw set. He was probably always taught in the Academy that burns were serious business. Which they were.

"It's not. Burns are serious," he snapped.

"I thought that you might find this funny."

"I would have a week ago," Cato said honestly.

"And now?"

His jaw set but he didn't even bother looking at me. "Don't ask questions you know the answer to," he muttered.

My stomach twisted in knots. He didn't find my pain funny because he didn't want me to be in pain. Not even any pain that he put me in. He would never want me to be in pain. My heart was fluttering softly as I leaned back, desperate to think about something else. Cato put the medical kit away and I glanced at what the Sponsors had sent me. The first package must have been a relatively large one. There was the burn cream that was now almost empty. There was a stitching kit that Cato was finishing up with now and a small bottle with a single pill in it. I wondered what it was but it didn't really matter.

We would get there when we had too. It looked like Cato was reading the directions that had been sent with it. I tried to read over his shoulder but he pulled the paper away from me. I sighed deeply and leaned back. He dropped some alcohol onto a pad and then held it over my leg. He grabbed my hand and I took a deep breath, knowing that this would hurt. He pressed it onto my leg and I buried my head in his chest from the pain. Don't show pain. I calmed down and steeled my face. He pulled the pad away and I groaned. He put the pad back away and gathered something else from the pile of medical supplies.

"You know, I never had a redeeming quality until you," Cato said.

The entire Capitol would be falling apart at the seams. I just had to hope that he would be saying it because he meant it. My face lit up. in the meantime. Maybe it was from him saving me or just the thrill of being alive but I pushed myself up slightly and pressed my lips against his. He looked shocked for a moment but he let his hand travel up to my face and cup it, tilting my head back. We stayed locked like that for a minute before he released me and I smiled at him. He looked like he was about to say something stupid and I held a hand up to his face, silencing him.

"Don't ruin it," I said.

He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "You've been out for a couple of hours now," Cato said.

"I figured."

"I got most of this taken care of but there's still two more things I need to do. You have internal bleeding so you need to take the pill. I have no idea how it works but apparently it'll seal up whatever Nine ruptured."

"Okay."

I took the pill and slipped it into my mouth. Although the bitter taste of the pill made me spit it back out into my hand. Cato rolled his eyes and grabbed the pill from my hand. "Seriously? Don't be a baby. It won't taste good but it'll work," he said.

"It's disgusting!"

"You should be grateful that someone sent it to you at all," Cato sneered.

And he was right. I should have been grateful. "Okay. I'll do it last," I muttered.

"Alright. In the meantime let me stitch up your thigh."

"The burn is there," I said, panicking slightly.

"That's a numbing cream over there. You won't be able to feel it and it needs to get sealed. It'll probably hurt. Be warned," Cato said.

"It can't be worse than the wolf and fire," I muttered.

"Don't test them," Cato advised. I snorted. "I already got your stomach so be careful with those. I need to get to the wound. Take the pants off," he ordered, like he had been telling me to do something as simple as take watch.

My mouth dropped open and I stuttered for a moment before huffing and shaking my head. "No! There's no way that I'm letting you anywhere around there," I huffed indignantly.

Cato scoffed at me and shook his head. "Yeah? Well, fine. I'll leave and you'll keep bleeding. Or you can stop being a little bitch about it and take the damn pants off," Cato snapped.

That's harsh. I wanted to argue but I knew that he was right. I had to get this stitched up and I wasn't very good at stitching. I'd found that out a while ago. Katniss had been injured one time and I'd tried to fix her up. I'd ended up stretching the skin and leaving a scar on her thigh. Ms. Everdeen had done as much as she could to help out and it now her scar wasn't nearly as and. It had just been my warning to never try stitches again. I shimmied out of my pants and Cato helped tug them off.

My face lit up as his eyes traced the line of my black underwear. I shook my head at him and he scoffed. He went to work stitching the wound and I hissed at the first few tugs but eventually I got used to the feeling of the needle pulling through my skin. Cato's hand was laying lightly on my upper thigh, occasionally brushing where it shouldn't have. I knew that it was an accident but I was going to slap him if he did it again. His hands stroked my leg to calm me down and I felt my face heating up more than it ever had. Cato looked up at my face but I refused to meet his gaze. I knew that he was smirking at me.

"What's the matter, Twelve?" Cato asked.

"Nothing. Just hurry up. It feels funny," I snapped.

"You sure that you don't like that?" he asked, stroking my thigh again.

"Knock it off," I hissed.

"Or maybe you've never had a guy do that to you," he said.

I turned to him about to argue but he was right. What was the point in arguing? The people in the Capitol must have been laughing at the cute little District 12 Tribute. "That's adorable, Aspen. You're so innocent," he teased.

I scoffed at him. He snorted and I had to resist sticking the spare needle through his throat. "I had more important things to worry about," I told him honestly.

Honestly I was too worried about feeding Katniss and Prim and their mother along with Gale's family. There had been much better things to do with my time. I had never needed to worry about who I was spending that kind of time with. I was sure that Cato had gotten plenty of attention from the female gender back in District 2 and now I knew that it was true. He had basically just told me that he wasn't a virgin. And now he was going to try and make me feel bad about being one. But it didn't matter what he said. I wasn't going to give in.

"I saw you completely shirtless the other day," Cato pointed out.

"When I was injured. I didn't want you seeing me like that."

"And now I have you out of your pants."

"For another injury, you ass."

Cato grinned at me and continued working. "So, Twelve, wanna die one?" he asked.

That time my jaw did drop. There was a playful smirk in his eyes. No part of me doubted that he was below sleeping with me in this cave. In fact I knew that he would. But there was no way that it would ever happen. When I did have my first time it would not be in a cave in the middle of the Hunger Games. I actually wouldn't mind it being with Cato but not where the entire world could see. Not where Prim, Katniss, and Gale could see. Not Prim. I had scarred the girl enough this past week.

"I'd rather than stoop to losing it someone like you," I sneered.

Perhaps that was a little rude. I didn't care. He just kept messing with me. He finished the last stitch and tied it off but just as he was about to pull my pants up the rest of the way, he lingered his finger on my thigh and pressed in. The pain that went through me rolled in waves and I gasped loudly.

"I'm sorry!" I immediately shouted.

He laughed and took his hand off of my leg and kissed the top of my head. I recoiled from him and he merely smirked. "Happy birthday, Twelve," Cato said.

"Yeah. It's been awesome," I muttered.

"I could have made it even better," Cato said, winking at me. I rolled my eyes and pointed out of the cave. "Fine I get it. Not ready yet, blah, blah, blah."

"Damn straight," I said.

"Oh. One last thing. Lover Boy doesn't have much time left. If you still care you might want to come find us and save him," Cato said, with a vicious smile.

Leaning forward I went to threaten him but he tilted my head back and slammed his mouth against mine. I tried to pull back but he had our mouths locked together. He held me close and I melted into the kiss slightly. His hands went around my waist and he opened his mouth, using his lips to open mine too. My heart was pounding in my chest but I wasn't willing to let go. Without warning he shoved his tongue into my mouth. I recoiled back as he pushed something small into my throat. It had a sour taste and I swallowed it to get the taste out. I coughed slightly and Cato laughed. He had slipped me the pill.

"You asshole," I sneered.

"You're welcome," Cato said.

He laughed and began to walk out of the cave, but just before he did I caught a glint of light on his jacket. "Wait! My pin, please. You told me that I got it back today so give it here," I said.

I'd almost forgotten that he had the pin. I couldn't help but to wonder if any of the Careers had spotted it. Probably not or one of them would have been dead from the fight that would have ensued. Cato rolled his eyes and unbuttoned the pin before tossing it to me. I caught it and fastened it on my jacket before nodding at him to go. He rolled his eyes and stepped out of the cave and I sighed. But a moment later he popped his head back into the cave.

"What?" I asked.

"This was out there," he said.

He rolled a Sponsor package down to me. I grabbed it and smiled. "Thank you," I said.

"By the way, Aspen. Try not to die anymore. It's getting a little tiring saving you," he said, with a wink.

"Sure thing. Try not to kiss me again unless it's without a pill," I teased.

Cato grinned at me. He surprised me by sliding back into the cave and grabbing me around the waist. I gasped as he pulled me against his own chest and held me in a searing kiss. He leaned me back against the rocks as he pushed his hands through my hair. It was a little painful but I did enjoy it. I had never been kissed like that. His hands were tight around me as my heart hammered in my chest. We were together for a few moments before he pulled away and pressed a final kiss on my lips.

"Like that?" Cato asked.

There was something almost soft in his eyes. "Yeah... Like that," I whispered.

We stared at each other as Cato pressed another small kiss against my lips. He released me a moment later and winked, climbing back out of the cave. My face must have been a brilliant red. I was glad that there was no fire to illuminate me. The Capitol people must have been screaming with glee from our kiss. They must have been wishing for another one. So was I. Cato's laugh echoed as he walked away. I laughed too. The Panem anthem played outside and I leaned over while grabbing the blanket and draping it over myself. The boy from District 9 that I had killed had been the only death today.

That meant that there were only twelve of us left. We were to the halfway point. I sighed and grabbed the canister. Before I opened it I stared at it. It wasn't grey like packages normally were. It was white. Did that mean that someone special had sent it? I unscrewed the cap and stared at it. There was only a tiny white box inside. I felt around the edges but there was nothing. Not even a note. I grabbed the box and pulled it out. It felt like nothing was even in there. I took out a small piece of paper out of the box and realized that it was written in a neat print with red ink. What the hell was this? Some kind of joke?

Dropping onto my pack and laying on the hard ground of the cave I looked over the note. It wasn't from anyone that I recognized. The writing looked to be from an adult but I knew that it wasn't from Ms. Everdeen. Besides I knew that she wouldn't have been able to directly send me something. It had to be from someone I didn't know. I started to scan over it.

Miss Antaeus,

I assume that you won't need me to tell you who wrote this note. Sending notes to Tributes is highly illegal. I'm sure you are aware that there is only one man that can do such a thing. If you're reading this I assume that you beat my obstacles. Well done, Girl on Fire. I thought that they would both be worthy opponents for you.

As I said before, Aspen, I think that we can be friends. And the two of us being friends means that you do what you know you should. So follow my orders. Be close with Mr. Hadley. Enjoy your time with him. Put on the show that the Capitol people want to see. I'm sure those people that you love so much will be grateful to see their little girl enjoying herself. Especially the boy. What was his name? Gale Hawthorne, I believe. Enjoy your birthday and I hope that on your next the two of us can be toasting.

President Snow.

The paper fell from my hand and I immediately started up another fire to feed the note to. I put it out right after once I felt that the fire was heating up the burns that were still healing. Wringing my hands together I slipped back onto my bag and grimaced. I would never get over the feeling of the fire or the sight of the District 9 male's face being half-burned. My thoughts turned to President Snow. He had sent me a damn letter. The cameras must have been facing away. Everyone would be in an uproar if they knew that he had sent the letter. No. Right now they would be trying to decipher my face so I steeled it.

Was he threatening me? Was he threatening Gale? I couldn't let him kill Gale because I had done something wrong. At least now I knew what he wanted. He wanted Cato and I to be the power couple of the Games. That might have worked if he wasn't with the Careers. But besides when he snuck off to see me he was always with them. Somehow I would have to come up with a plan to kill them and get Cato to join my side. Then I would kill him. I would do whatever it took to save Gale. He hadn't asked for this and I wasn't going to let him end up dead because of me.

Rolling over slightly I closed my eyes and felt the pain of my wounds tugging at me. Visions of Cato saving me by the river bank kept popping up and I pushed them back. I couldn't love Cato. If I loved him I would get attached and things wouldn't go the way that President Snow wanted them. He would have Gale killed and I would never be able to live knowing that my actions had caused my best friend's death. Whether or not I loved Cato didn't matter. I would kill him, I would get home, and I would live with my actions.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

In District 2...

Like every other day the Hadley household was buzzing with life. The house built for eight people was one person short but even with only one person missing it felt like the entire house was empty. The seven remaining Hadley's all crowded around the television watching as the Games began for the day. It was still early so most of the Tributes were still asleep. The large recliner in the middle of the room was empty and it weighed heavily on the family. It was the chair that their middle son always sat in, watching that year's Games eagerly.

The family had mostly been in segregation from the rest of the District since the Games had started. A few of the family's friends and some of Cato's had come by since the Games had started. On the day of the Bloodbath the family remembered having to ask a large number of their visitors to leave because they had only been asking why he had saved the girl from District 12. No one knew why. Cato's friends were all floored by his interactions with the girl from District 12. All of District 2 was.

No one could quite understand what was happening with the girl from District 12. She had proven herself to be nothing like anyone had expected. She'd stopped to speak to the little boy in the Capitol, she had literally been on fire during the Tribute Parade, she'd earned a twelve during training, and had given an Interview that had charmed everyone. She'd managed to get out of the Bloodbath relatively unscathed, she'd won every fight she'd been in during the Games, she'd managed to kill the wolf mutt, and she'd avoided the disastrous fire. Even more surprising was the fact that Cato was falling in love with her.

The friends of the Hadley's all thought that it was odd the way the family had been acting. They were usually the first ones to have a huge party for the Games and invite every one of their friends over. But this year the family all stayed indoors together, threw no parties, and watched as their boy fought for his life. They hadn't really even stepped outside since they had bade their family member a goodbye. The food and supplies were plentiful enough so that they hadn't really needed to make an outside trip. Plus there was no one that was outside that the family felt the urge to talk to.

The only person that they wanted to speak to was hundreds of miles away at least. They would have to wait until he won the Games and came back home to actually get a chance to talk to him. At least they knew that he was prepared. Even with everything that had been happening the Hadley's knew that Cato still had it in his head that he was going to be coming back home. And the Hadley's were all determined to still believe that. They knew that everyone would just want to know what their son was thinking or what his game plan was but the family would all have the same answer. They didn't know.

No one had known that Aspen Antaeus would be in the Games before Cato had volunteered. Cato Hadley had been physically and mentally trained for the Games since he could stand but everyone knew that the arena was completely different than anything that the trainers could think up. You were in constant isolation and the air was always thick with nerves. There were mutts straight out of hell and it was the first time that any of these kids had actually taken a life. It was easy to see every year which Tributes were able to get over the deaths and which ones were affected beyond repair.

There would be a number of kids that would rather die in the arena then go back home. So far they could tell that nothing had really been bothering Cato that much. None of the deaths had hurt him. The girl that he frequently found himself drawn to was a little different. She was obviously disturbed with having killed the boy from District 7 and the girl from District 9 so early on. The girl from District 8 hadn't seemed to bother her so much. It had really been the boy from District 9 that had attacked her yesterday. That was the one that she was having a problem with. Not that anyone blamed her.

The eldest of the Hadley's, the patriarch, Damien, knew that his son was able to win. It was the one reason that he had agreed that Cato was the right person to volunteer for the Games. He would have done it anyways, but Damien had agreed that Cato had what it took to become a Victor. He knew that his son was a little hot-headed but he had figured that he would learn before the arena that he couldn't react before making moves. He had made sure that Cato was put in the best training program, had the best weapons, and was at least proficient with all others.

Since Cato was fifteen they had all known that he was going to go into the Games. But that didn't make it any easier the day that the Reaping had come for him. It was his last year and it was now or never. So he volunteered and the rest was history. He had always had the simplest of plans. Get into the Games, kill everyone that gets in his way, and win. Come back home and bring the Hadley family to live in Victor's Village for the rest of their days. It had all been so simple. At least that was until Aspen Antaeus had come along.

Damien remembered the first time that he had seen the District 12 girl. It had been right after Cato's Reaping and the family had all walked back into their home. The Capitol was broadcasting the Reaping from District 12. No one had been interested until they heard the call of a volunteer. Damien had known instantly that she was the first volunteer from District 12 and he had known that she would cause a huge stir. Then she had proved herself to be lovable but also deadly with the score of twelve in training. A perfect score that no one had ever achieved.

Even in the Districts people were thrilled with Aspen. There was just something so interesting about her. Perhaps it was the fact that her parents had died in the Games. Damien could remember both of their deaths. He remembered cheering on their killers. Now he was cheering on his son to kill their daughter. Although Cato had gone down the wrong route. Because now he was drawn to her like a moth to flames. Literally. There had been rumors circulating the Games the entire time that Cato and Aspen had somehow gotten involved with each other and Damien had always thought it had been a load of crap.

His son knew what to do and what not to do in these Games. Getting attached to a Tribute was a don't do. He knew that despite the fact that Cato was friends with Clove the two would have to move on from each other's deaths. They had already made it clear that this was the way that it was going to end. And they wanted the winner to celebrate the others death by winning the Games. Damien didn't blame his son for being attracted to the girl. Everyone seemed to be attracted to her.

They had once said that District 12 Tributes were some of the ugliest in Panem. They were wrong about her. She was gorgeous to look at. She had light blonde hair, just like Cato's, that trailed down her back. Although it was now a few inches shorter. She was muscular enough but definitely hadn't had enough to eat in her life. She had deep blue eyes that held little hints of brown in them. Her personality only helped her attractiveness. She was sarcastic, funny, and tough. She was everything that his son was attracted to.

Despite how similar the two of them were they had two completely separate views on the lives that they took. It was one of the funny things about the two of them. They were quite an interesting little pair. It almost made Damien smile. Almost. The only reason that he didn't smile was because of the fact that there was still a chance that Aspen could turn around and kill Cato. But Damien had a feeling that she wouldn't dare hurt his son. It was partly because of the way that she thought. Aspen thought out her attacks and debated on whether the life was really worth taking. He knew that the deaths took a toll on her.

The other day when she had killed the District 8 male it was easy to see that the death had taken a toll on her. Mostly because of how gruesome it had been. She'd practically peeled the skin off of his face. She had nearly died too but his son had saved her. Just when Damien had thought that he was be rid of her. Cato was the complete opposite. He didn't think about the lives that he took. He just killed them and pushed the feelings down. Exactly the way that he had been taught at the Academy. The only Tribute that he couldn't kill without thinking about it was her.

Somehow she had changed him. She was making him think again. She was such a strange little character. There had to be more to them. Damien had seen very few of their interactions - as everyone knew that the two of them had spoken before the arena - but he knew that something serious had to have happened. And her comment... You're nothing like I expected. There had to be something behind that. He saw the softness in Cato's eyes when she said it. Whatever she was saying meant the world to him.

It was a long time before Damien had believed that the little thing between Aspen and Cato was real. At first Damien had thought that he was just messing with the girl. That was what it seemed like. He knew Cato's smirk. He knew the look in his son's eyes that meant that he was happy that he had gotten into someone's head. And he saw how flustered Aspen was. He knew that it was just a strategy to mess with her. Even early on in the Games that had been the way that it had seemed. But now he knew that it was different.

As Cato's visits to Aspen became more and more frequent and he grew more protective over her Damien knew that his son had actually fallen for her. It was all in the way that he looked at her. He gazed at her the same way that Damien looked at his wife. It would be hard for his son to kill this girl. Damien knew that. They all knew that. But he knew that Cato knew what he was doing there. He would kill the girl and it would tear him apart. Damien had known that his son wouldn't return the same way that he had left. But he had never thought that it would be because of some District 12 girl.

The camera shifted onto his son and he sighed deeply. Now when he looked at his son he was nervous. For the first time since saying goodbye to Cato over a week ago he was nervous. All because of her. Damien was watching Cato move around on the screen. That had almost been him. Just about twenty-five years ago Damien had been ready to volunteer for the Games. But then he'd met his wife, Alana, and everything had changed. She had begged him not to volunteer for the Games and have him stay with her. It had been a hard choice. He was at the top of his class but he decided not to volunteer. For her.

He couldn't if it meant risking his relationship with her. Through the years he had always wondered what it might have been like if he had volunteered that year. The girl that would have been his District partner had won that year and he had always been happy for her. The two had been friends and he had frequently visited her after she had won. She had seemed different but for the most part she just seemed proud. Still he wondered what it would have been like if he had volunteered and won. Would Cato have been a legacy or would he have never decided to train?

The matriarch of the Hadley family softly placed her hand on her husband's hand and squeezed it gently. She had been trying to be the lightness in the house over the past week or so. She wanted to keep everyone smiling while they were all nervous. Even though Cato knew what he was doing she couldn't help but to get a little nervous for him. Alana knew that Damien was nervous for their son and she didn't blame him. She was nervous too. But she was a mother. She always would be.

Cato had always been the boy that no one had expected to be kind or caring. But he was, and more. She saw it every time that he looked at Aspen. He was torn between killing her and letting her live. It meant that if she lived he would die. He would give up everything that he had worked his entire life for. Alana Hadley was nothing like the rest of her family. She had never been overly fond of the Games and she had never wanted to volunteer for the spot to represent District 2. Alana had trained growing up but she had never been the best. Knives were her best weapon and she really wasn't even that good with them.

She was nothing like the girl from District 12. She was even better with knives than Clove. Alana wasn't quite sure how Aspen had become so strong with weapons but she was glad that she had. She liked the girl. But she also knew that Cato had every potential to win these Games. There was only one problem. He just had to get past Aspen. Unlike the majority of her family, Alana actually like Aspen. If her son wasn't competing in the Games she probably would be rooting for the District 12 girl. There was some pull to her and most people felt it.

She was fiercely loyal to her family, clearly had a big heart, was funny in the sarcastic way, and she was talented for a Tribute from District 12. She was talented for any Tribute. There were even rumors that she had turned down an offer to be a part of the Career pack. Alana could believe that. There was probably some illegal training going on with Aspen but it didn't matter. The Capitol had no way to prove it. A tiny part in the back of Alana's brain hoped that Aspen would be able to get out with her son. They made a lovely couple and she was sure that they would be even better without the stress of the arena on them.

There was also the issue that most of the girls in District 2 only cared about being with a Victor. That was the perfect kind of person to be a husband in District 2. Everyone wanted to be married to a Victor of the Games. If Cato won he would be the most eligible bachelor around. Alana had already known that. Her family had frequently made jokes about it. She even smiled at the memory from just a few days before the Reaping between her kids.

"You'll be the most sought after bachelor in District 2," Carrie teased.

"He always was," Dean said, slapping Cato on the back.

"You'll even have girls in the Capitol that want you," Aidan added.

"I'll pass," Cato said, making the entire family erupt with laughter.

"You could probably even have someone from a different District," Dean put in.

"Like?" Cato asked.

The two brothers exchanged a devious smile. "District 12," Aidan said.

The whole family guffawed. Even Alana cracked a small smile. Although she really did hate the way that people made fun of District 12. "Absolutely not. Their Tributes are pathetic. They're weak and stupid," Cato growled, turning a knife in his hand. The family laughed and nodded their agreement.

The memory made her smile. If only Cato could have seen himself now back then. It hadn't been that long ago but he had been so different. He had never thought that it would be possible to fall in love with a dirt-poor girl from District 12. It didn't matter to Alana where the girl had come from. Alana would much rather have Aspen be with her son than any of the girls in District 2. She cared for him even when they were fighting for their lives against each other.

The youngest of the Hadley clan all seemed to have mixed feelings about the clever little Tribute. They had since the first time that they had seen her. The eldest of the Hadley children, Dean, wanted nothing more than to have his brother and best friend back. Dean had been the second best in his class during his time. He had been one of the two boys in the running to volunteer for the Games but his wife had begged him not to go. She had just found out that she was pregnant at the time and the thought of leaving his child fatherless had forced him not to leave.

That year the District 2 male had died. Cato had only been fifteen at the time but he had already known that he would be the one going into the Games. He had promised his big brother that he would compete and win for him. Dean didn't really know what to think. He had only ever wanted two things for his brother. To be a Victor and find a girl to settle down with. It was cruel that he would find her now. He knew that Aspen was a good girl but he also knew that Cato was constantly thinking about what to do with her. It was a hard situation.

The only of the Hadley's to have been married into the family shifted at the sight of her brother-in-law asleep. He had briefly woken up but the realization that no one else was awake had turned him to go right back to bed. She was now watching his still form. At least he was sleeping on the grass and didn't have to sleep in the trees like Aspen did. Although she looked like she might have been used to it. Carrie loved her brother more than anything and prayed every night and day that he would be okay.

She knew that he had every talent that he needed to win. She had even known that he would win when he'd left. That had all been until Aspen had come along. Cato had always had a few soft spots but they were rare. The only ones that Carrie ever saw were for his family and for her daughter. It seemed that Aspen had become the only person that had ever been able to break through his icy exterior. She wished nothing more than for the two of them to have a happy life together. But there was no way that it would happen now. Both had been forced into a hard spot.

Like the adults the younger Hadley children all missed their brother too. He had only been gone for a week but it had felt like he was gone for a month. It would actually be getting close to a month by the time that Cato returned to District 2. Aidan was only ten but he was training just like Cato had. If Cato was going to go into the arena then Aidan was too. He wanted to be just like Cato. The trainers all said that Aidan was just like his brother. The sword was his weapon of choice and he swung before thinking. The youngest boy in the family wanted nothing more than to get his brother back and follow in his footsteps.

Leah was the youngest of Alana and Damien's daughters and she was rarely allowed in the living room during these two weeks. Although she was only six she knew that her brother was fighting for his life somewhere. She also knew that he had found a pretty girl. Leah wanted to meet her when Cato came back. Marley was the first of the grandchildren that had been blessed to the Hadley family. She was only two and didn't really know what had happened to her uncle. But his name had been her first word and recently it had been the only thing that she was saying.

As the clock hit ten in the morning Damien sighed and glanced back over to his television that his family was crowded around. Glimmer and Marvel were already awake and the latter had volunteered to go on a hunt, leaving Glimmer to watch the camp. Cato was still sleeping soundly and Damien got up to leave the room. He wanted to see what was going to happen to his son but it didn't seem like he would awaken for a while. He walked out onto his porch and took a seat in the metal chair before shoving his palms into his eyes. There was a soft padding of feet behind him and Damien dropped his hands.

He went to turn and tell his wife that he would be back in a few minutes but it was only his daughter-in-law. He smiled brightly at her and she returned it as she took the seat next to him. He had always liked Carrie and was happy that his son had chosen a woman so different from him. She made a good balance to the pair. It was obvious that Carrie was having a hard time with Cato being gone. He knew that besides her husband she cared for the next oldest boy the most.

Damien rested his hands on the table and glanced up with a smile as Carrie took his hands in hers. It pained her to think that Cato's being gone was hurting the rest of her family. Her real mother and father had passed away a few years ago and since they had departed the Hadley's had become her new family. Carrie thought back to the first time that she had ever met Dean's family and smiled. They had been fifteen and sixteen. Cato had been thirteen and boasting about how the trainers thought that he had what it took to become a Tribute. He had been so proud of himself. From that day on she had loved the boy.

"Tell Alana I'll be back soon," Damien said.

"I'm not heading back in just yet. She knows," Carrie said.

"Just needed to step out for a few minutes," Damien said.

"I understand. We all do sometimes." They sat it silence for a few minutes. "You know that when he does get back from the Games it will be up to us to help him get past her loss," Carrie told her father-in-law.

He glanced up at her and nodded. He knew that Cato would be able to kill Aspen but it would tear him apart. He would be destroyed and she was right. It would be up to them to get the family back together. Damien thought back to the day that Carrie and Dean had announced that she was pregnant. The entire family had been thrilled but Cato had been the most excited. He had kept a protective eye on Carrie after that. He had been even more protective of her than Dean. He wondered what Aspen would think if she could see that Cato.

"I know. He worked so hard for this. It was all that he ever really wanted," Damien said.

"It's still what he wants."

"But now there's something that he wants more."

"Unfortunately that's not something that he can have."

"I'm not sure that he understands that. One girl is going to rip it all out from under him," Damien snarled.

Carrie sighed and leaned forward. She knew that most of the family weren't overly-fond of Aspen. "She's trying to survive. Just like him," Carrie said.

"What if she kills him?" he asked the younger girl.

She shook her head and nodded back to the television that his family were all glued to. "You've been watching these Games as close as the rest of us have. Tell me that you haven't seen something. The way that she looks at him. It's the same way that Alana looks at you and it's the way that I look at Dean," Carrie said.

"She could be faking it," Damien said.

For a while Carrie had thought that she was faking it. But it was her comment, about him being nothing like she expected, that told her that Aspen wasn't faking it. "She loves him. You know that. She won't kill him," Carrie argued.

"She could."

"From a distance. Not close up. You know that even if she does try to kill him he can overpower her. He's twice her size," Carrie said.

Damien sighed deeply. It would be easy to kill her. She was good from a distance but was definitely weaker when she got cornered. Of course. She wasn't that strong and she wasn't that large. Everything she had said was true. He knew that Cato could easily flatten her but the question was whether or not he could. Could he actually go and slit her throat? He loved her and it was obvious that he didn't know if he could kill her or not.

"What if he can't though?" Damien asked.

"Maybe he can't. Maybe he can. We'll have to wait and see."

"I know that physically he's stronger than her but which one is mentally stronger? He's never been in love before, not really," Damien said.

They both knew that it was the truth. Cato had mostly been focused on his training since he was a little kid. No one had ever really captured his attention before. There had been the occasional girl that he had brought through but they were usually gone quickly after. Cato would never seemed that thrilled with them anyways. They were just something to amuse him. It hadn't bothered Damien. He had been the same way before Alana had come into his life. Damien had never seen his son look at any of those girl the way that he looked at Aspen. And that was a problem.

"Have a little faith in your child. Cato knows what he's doing and if he chooses to save her... well you should be proud. You should be proud to say that you have a son who gave up his life so that an innocent girl could continue living hers. No matter what happens to him I know that I'll be proud to call him my brother. Will you be proud to call him your son?" Carrie asked.

Damien stared at her for a minute in total shock. Carrie was normally a quiet girl who only spoke when spoken to. She really would only start a conversation with Dean, Marley, or Cato. He would have never expected her to say anything like that. She wasn't the type. But she was fiercely protective of Cato. Damien thought for a moment about the fact that she was right. He wanted to say something back to Carrie but he wasn't sure what to say to her. Some part of him would be proud of Cato if he chose to save her. But his son would be dead. And Damien couldn't handle that.

On one hand Damien would be proud to say that his son had died for love. But it would tear him apart to think that he would lose his son to it. Cato was such a wonderful kid. He deserved to live. Damien finally went to respond to her but a loud call came from his eldest son. Fearful over what was happening, the pair went running back into the room. The screen had left the Career camp and was now split in half. Damien quirked a brow. What was happening? Nothing good if the screen looked like that.

On one screen was Aspen's sleeping form. She was still in the cave that Cato had brought her to last night. But on the other screen was Marvel. He was staring at her cave and standing only a few yards from it. He had a spear in hand and was twirling it, clearly waiting for her to come out. Damien and the rest of his family watched the screen closely as Aspen began to stir and Marvel continued to twirl his spear. Maybe he'll kill her, Damien thought. He'd kill her and she wouldn't ever get near Cato. But nothing about this was sitting well. As Aspen sat up in her cave Damien's stomach lurched painfully.

In The Arena...

Rolling onto my side I hissed at the pain that radiated through my stomach. I glanced down and saw that the stab wound was slightly white. Immediately I groaned. An infection. Of course. The only good thing was that the area of my thigh that had been burned was already almost completely healed. It was still a deep gray - looking like someone had smeared some soot on it - but the burns were gone and so were the blisters. The stab wound there was gone but there was a scar. It was still a little sensitive but it could have been worse.

At least I would be able to walk on it now. Running wouldn't be a problem but medicine would make it easier with how my stomach was. I glanced outside of the cave and realized that it was about noon from the position of the sun. Sighing at the slight pain I slowly rolled back over and grabbed my pack. I pulled out the dried fruit and meat and stared at it. There wasn't much left and I felt my heart deflate. Only two pieces of each left. Deciding that I may as well eat it all I downed both items quickly and washed them down with as little water as I could spare.

A light ding came from the front of the cave and I smiled. A Sponsor package came rolling into the cave and landed at my feet. I laughed lightly as I leaned forward and grabbed the canister, falling back into my spot. I unscrewed the lid and ripped the medicine out of the package. It was a thick white paste that smelled like sewage but that didn't matter. As long as it did something about the infection. Lightly I placed it over my stomach, expecting there to be a searing pain, but it felt good. It was cool and soothing. I looked to the camera in the back of the cave and smiled weakly.

"Thank you," I said to the Sponsor.

Grabbing the rest of the medicine and shoving it back into the bag I wondered if the Capitol was getting annoyed with me constantly needing medicine. I'd needed a number of packages so far. I was probably the person that needed medicine the most. But maybe if they would stop sending people and mutts and fires after me I would stop getting hurt. I kept quiet, knowing that a conversation like that probably wouldn't go over well. Grabbing the bottom of the canister again I dug around for the note and pulled it out. It was scrawled in Haymitch's messy scribe and I smiled.

Good kiss. It got you lots of Sponsors. Be careful with him -H

That was Haymitch for you. Any compliment had to be backhanded. But that didn't matter. He had managed to get me the medicine and some part of me loved him like a father figure. Even despite every annoying thing that he had done to me since being Reaped two weeks ago. Despite everything good that had happened this morning I was still broken about what had happened yesterday. My nightmares had been fueled by the unfortunate circumstances of the attack.

I'd practically been burned alive before being nearly drowned by the District 9 male. I had just barely gotten out of that fight with my life. Then I had met up with Cato and he had basically admitted that he did have feelings for me. And I had made it obvious that I cared for him. Then there had been the note from President Snow. I couldn't tell if it had been a threat or if he really did want me to be happy with Cato. That would be the opportune way out of this. Fall in love with Cato and the two of us could team up and beat everyone else. Then we would be allowed to win together. But I knew that it would never happen.

Despite me knowing better I fantasized about what could happen if Cato and I were allowed to be together. I was done killing for these Games. I'd done enough damage. Although maybe I would kill Glimmer. But the rest would be up to Cato. He would gladly finish everyone else off. I would wait for him in the meantime. Once he got back the two of us would win together. We would get patched up from these Games and then the Capitol would have the Closing Ceremony. We would be like a real prince and princess when we would be crowned together. Then we would get to go back home.

Cato would get sent back to District 2 where he would be hailed as a hero. He could be with his mother and father. His two younger siblings and his older brother and his wife. He would be with his niece that he seemed so fond of. They would move to Victor's Village and he would get everything that he wanted. After that I would be sent back to District 12. I would be with Katniss and Gale all the time and we would hunt freely. Prim would be with from then on out and I would make sure that the young girl knew that I loved her. We would all move into a new house in Victor's Village and we would never starve again.

Those were all of the good things. But with everything else there would also be a number of bad things that would come with it. Winning with two people wasn't the way that the Games were supposed to go. It was designed so that one person walked out. What would happen if two people walked out? Maybe nothing. Maybe we would move on like normal. We would still have plenty of issues like the normal Victors did. Number one would be the Victory Tour. On one hand I would get to see Cato again after six months but we would be facing the families of the children that we killed.

The worst part was that they would be forced to thank us like we had done them a favor. I had already killed four people. That would mean that there would be four families that I would have to stare in the eyes. And Cato was at an even higher count than me. We would only have two weeks to see each other before we were whisked back home. Then the next time that we would see each other would be at next year's Games when we had four Tributes combined that were all fighting against each other to live. It was a nightmare even if we won.

For nearly two hours I tried to think about any good ways that we could win together but everything always ended in disappointment. I finally got sick of all the sad endings and decided to test the waters to see if the medicine had helped any. I stood and smiled when I realized that there was no pain. My plan was to head to the mountain range and stay there for a while. Cato knew this place too well and he knew my hiding spots. If I got over there maybe I would forget about him and it would make him just another Tribute when the Death Match came. It was a farfetched thought but I needed to try.

Grabbing my blanket I stuffed it into the pack and sighed, shouldering it and beginning the journey to what would become my new home. Hopefully there were no wolf mutts there. Sliding out of the cave I stood and began to walk off of the rocks that covered the cave. Right as I hit the edge of the rocks I felt a heavy force knock me over and I cried out as my head hit the sharp edge of a stone. Whoever it was had to be a male. He was heavy and knew what he was doing as he knocked the knife out of my hand and sat on top of me. I tried to buck him off of me but he only laughed.

Laughter. Was there a chance that it was Cato? No. He wouldn't have wanted to hurt me like that. He would have just grabbed me and yanked me into him. My eyes shot open at the laughter and I swung out. The boy only caught my arms and forced my hands back to my sides. The voice seemed familiar but I didn't know it that well. It was someone that I had probably only heard once or twice. Finally I stopped struggling and let my eyes focus on the figure that had easily planted themselves on top of me. If I wasn't dead yet it meant that they didn't want to kill me.

"Hey, Twelve."

"One," I greeted irritably.

"How have your Games been?" Marvel asked, as if we were only having daytime tea together and not in the middle of a fight.

"Oh, they've been alright. How about yours?" I asked.

Don't show fear. The Capitol people would think that the banter was funny and I wouldn't lose Sponsors. "They haven't been too bad," Marvel said.

As nice as it was that he wanted trying to kill me I really wanted him off. His spear laid a few feet away from us and I tried to grab it but I was too short. My knife was too far away. He laughed and laid himself heavily on top of me. I coughed as he pressed into my cracked rib and grimaced in pain. He didn't know that I had been injured but that didn't mean that I wasn't going to just let him sit here. He was going to torment me and then probably bring me back to Cato. Damn it. Why hadn't I stayed it the cave?

"Fuck off, Marvel," I hissed.

Everyone should have known that I could only be nice to Marvel for so long. But now I wanted him off of me and back with the rest of the Careers at the Cornucopia. I threw my leg up to his crotch but he caught my leg. I should have known that he would have seen that coming. I sighed as he pushed my leg back to the ground and sat himself on it, ensuring that there was no way that I could move. He laughed at my struggles and patted me roughly on my face twice before I moved my head away from him. He was such a prick. I would have shoved his spear through his throat if I could.

"Now, you see, I would," Marvel said.

"You're disgusting."

"Thanks, doll. But I think that you'd much rather prefer if a certain blonde-haired Tribute were to do that," he said.

My fighting became even stronger. "You don't know shit about me," I snarled.

The laughter became even louder as he knew that he had gotten to me. "Of course not. But I do know some things," Marvel said.

He was heavier than he looked. Although I wasn't exactly the strongest of the remaining Tributes physically. "Get off of me," I growled.

If he wanted to talk to me he could at least stop sitting on my stomach. He was getting to be a little heavy and my stomach was still throbbing slightly. Eventually Marvel shrugged and complied with my wish. He stood and took a few steps back. I watched him closely but he never grabbed his spear. He left it right where I could grab it. He didn't want to fight. He wanted to talk. Cautiously I stood and pulled a knife out of my sheath, ready to throw it just in case.

"What do you want?" I asked, with knitted eyebrows.

Smirking like he had already won the Games, he crossed his hands behind his back and began to walk around me. I growled under my breath and turned with him, watching the woods in case he had any friends waiting for me to let my guard down. There was always a good chance that this could be Cato coming to kill me.

"Aspen, I'm not here to fight," Marvel said.

"So tackling me was just for fun?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I thought you had better hearing than that."

"I do."

"So why didn't you hear me?" Because I was too busy thinking about the fact that I'm falling in love with one of your alliance members. "I'm here to make you an offer," he said, walking back to his original spot.

An offer? No one ever made offers to District 12 Tributes. No matter how strong we were. I scoffed at him. All of me had to fight the urge to let the shock cross my face. The Capitol people would all be wondering what I was thinking. They would want me to be smart. Why was he making me an offer and not the Careers? Something was up. And why now? Why had he risked a fight with me just to ask me about an offer? It was dangerous. Part of me was curious about what he wanted but I knew that it would be smarter to walk away and pretend that I had never seen him.

"Not interested," I told him quickly.

I began to walk away before I got tempted. "Oh, I think you might be," Marvel said.

A moment later I heard his footsteps walking up behind me. I was nervous that he might throw the spear at me if I refused to even listen to him so I stopped and turned to him slowly. He wasn't holding the spear, thankfully, but he was smirking at me and staring carefully at the knife in my hands. We didn't trust each other. I knew that I should throw the knife and just eliminate another threat but it might benefit me just to listen. Maybe I would find something out about the Career camp. But still I knew that I couldn't risk him thinking that I was genuinely interested in what he had to offer me.

"I don't really care what you think," I said, with a nasty bite to my voice.

Being so used to dealing with Cato I had thought that Marvel would get angry and threaten to kill me but he only laughed and took a step closer to me. "I didn't think that you would," Marvel said.

I backed off from him and he smiled at me, his eyes still locked on the knife that I was gripping tightly. "So leave," I snapped.

"At least hear me out."

"No."

"Please, drop the knife and we'll talk. My spear is on the ground and I'm not holding anything else," he pleaded.

He tapped all around his body and tossed his jacket to the side, trying to get me to believe that he was telling me the truth. I tightened my new jacket around me and glared at Marvel. Was there a chance that I could trust him? Was he being serious? Taking a few steps forward I grabbed his jacket and threw it behind me, not taking my eyes off of him the entire time. If he wanted to talk we would talk. But there was no way that I would let my guard down.

"I'm not dropping the knife. You can tell me like this," I said.

He shrugged. He knew that I wasn't going to kill him and clearly he trusted me enough to be completely unarmed around me. "Fine by me," Marvel said.

He kicked his spear over to me and I pushed it to the side. "How do I know that your little groupies aren't hiding around here somewhere ready to pounce and kill me?" I asked him with a sneer.

He smiled and gave a few slow claps. My gaze narrowed. He really thought that he was a comic. I would have been one of the first ones to admit that he was a funny kid. But that didn't mean that this was the right time for it. I didn't need him making me feel like a fool when all I'd wanted to do was leave and head to the mountains. I just wanted to be away from all of them. The Careers and the rest of the Tributes. I wanted to be alone.

"I guess they're right. The older ones are the wisest. Happy late birthday, by the way," Marvel said, with a fake smile.

I had to resist chucking the knife through his eye. "Thanks," I growled.

Were all Careers this irritating? "There you go. Now you're thinking like a real Tribute. You know, I think people have really underestimated you," Marvel said.

"Something we might agree on."

"We do. Cato has underestimated you too. That's what will make this so easy for us if you're willing to trust me," he said, looking actually serious.

I scoffed and shifted on my feet for a moment. "And if I don't?" I asked.

He stared at me for a moment before giving me a shrug. Clearly he didn't care whether or not I trusted him. Although I was sure that he was used to it. The chances were that he didn't trust any of the people that he was teamed up with and vice versa. He shook his head again as he walked up to me and I found myself dropping my knife slightly. I didn't really think that he was actually going to hurt me. For some reason I actually found that I trusted Cato not to kill me more than I trusted Marvel. What kind of fucked up person thought that?

"Well you'll just have to learn. Now I know we both have a problem here," Marvel said.

"I don't have a problem."

"You do. So do I. We both need a certain Tribute dead but neither of us can do it on our own," he said. My eyes widened. There was no way that he was really thinking about killing Cato. Was there? He was the leader of the Careers. Normally it would be a few more days before they started to fall apart. "Which is why I came to you."

Everyone in the Capitol would be pressed up against the television to see what was about to happen. This would determine what I really felt about Cato. This would affect my Sponsors. Twirling the knife in my hand I stared at Marvel with a cross face. I stood with one hip out hoping that my face was betraying no emotion. His eyes followed the lines of my body and I grimaced. I was sure that Marvel wasn't a bad guy but there was no way that I wanted anything to do with him like that. I would rather have my first time in the cave with Cato with all of Panem watching.

"You want me to help you kill Cato?" I asked, hoping to steer him back to the topic at hand.

His eyes shot from my body and he looked back up to me with a smirk. "Exactly," he said.

It was like he had come up with a plan to overthrow the Capitol without ever having to leave the couch. Would it be worth it to kill Cato? It would certainly make my job much easier but I didn't like the whole idea of deception. Despite the fact that it would mean that I would never have to lay a hand on Cato the whole thing just felt wrong. If anyone was going to kill Cato it was going to me and I was going to do it honestly. Like the blonde-haired Tribute had said, I'd see him at the Death Match and it would be a fair fight. There was still a flicker of doubt in my mind but I pushed it back and shook my head.

The Sponsors wanted me with Cato and I would do just that. "No thanks," I told Marvel, before turning to walk away and head to the mountains.

All that I wanted to do was get to the damn mountains. I wanted to be away from everyone else for just a few days. At this rate I would rather deal with a mutt. The sigh that escaped Marvel's mouth was loud and for a moment I debated stealing his spear and running off with it. But if he really did have another weapon on him he could kill me easily. It really wouldn't be worth the fight but the whole thing was extremely tempting.

"Come on, I know that you can't kill him and I can," Marvel said, with an arrogant sing-song tone to his voice.

The anger in me started again full-force. I had been trying to be calm for the sake of not starting a fight with one of the toughest Tributes out here but it was getting harder and harder by the moment. "I can when the time comes," I said.

"So why not now?"

"Why would you even want to kill him? He's part of the Careers," I said, in a last ditch effort to keep calm.

He nodded and shrugged his shoulders again. "I know. He's useful but we both know that when it comes down to it I'd lose in a fight with him. So would you," he said.

He was right. We would both lose in a one on one fight with Cato. The only shot that we had was that we were long distance and could potentially get him before he got to us. But Marvel only had one spear and knives were easy to avoid if you knew how.

"Maybe not. Not if I surprised him," I said.

"You won't surprise him. I propose that we help each other out here."

"How?"

"I know that he's the reason people don't bother with us and he's why we get Sponsor gifts," he said.

I nearly laughed at the memory of Finch stealing from them but I kept quiet. I didn't want to unintentionally send the Careers after her. "Exactly. Why get rid of him?" I asked.

"Because I need to. Avoid the fight later. After I kill him, I'll take his place as the leader," he said, full of pride.

"And you think that he won't kill you first?" I asked.

He immediately lowered his chest and stared at me. I knew that I had ruined his moment but it was true. Cato would flatten Marvel in two seconds flat. It seemed like Marvel didn't want to say whatever he had to say next as he grabbed the bridge of his nose. I was frustrating him. The feeling was mutual. He managed to spit it out anyways.

"He would. Which is why I need you. Now I have a plan and you're the last part that I need," he said.

My head tilted to the side. "I am?" I asked.

"You are. Willing to at least listen?"

For a moment I debated back and forth on whether or not I should listen to him but I finally made the decision to listen. It might be worthwhile to see how smart Marvel really was. "Go on," I told him.

He smiled at me and I felt my skin crawl. "Every morning I go on a hunt for Tributes. Cato knows that. I'll do the same thing but this time I'm going to invite Cato to go with me. Once we get into the woods I'll split up with him to cover more ground. That's where you come in. I need you to get into Cato's sight. He'll be so focused on you that he'll never see me coming. I sneak up on him and kill him. After that we both have one more enemy down and we get to go on our merry ways. I focus on winning and so do you. No more Cato distractions," he said.

I let the whole thing process for a moment. Without thinking I began to laugh and he glared darkly at me. Once I had stopped laughing I turned to him and shook my head. "You're even less intelligent than I thought you were, Marvel," I said.

"Watch your mouth. I'll kill you without that spear."

"Go ahead. My knife will be between your eyes before you can move. You know that Cato would never let you just sneak up on him. He isn't a hunter but he knows the sound of an approaching Tribute," I said.

It was true. Cato had impeccable hearing for someone who had never hunted a day in their life before. I assumed that it was something that they were taught at the Academy. They had to know the sound of an enemy approaching. Taking a moment to compose himself he nodded slowly at me and smirked.

"Very good, Aspen, but you didn't let me finish," he said. I scoffed. He was just trying to save himself. "Of course he won't just let his guard down if he sees you in the woods. He'll warn you to leave and then he'll move on. This knife, I got it off another Tribute."

He pulled a knife from his boot. I scoffed darkly at him. "So much for no other weapons," I said.

"I never intended to use this on you," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "That makes it okay then," I muttered.

The knife had a wooden handle and looked like a wood sawing knife. "Cato's never seen it. You take it and stab yourself in the leg. Lay on the ground and when Cato finds you injured he'll lose all rational thought and rush to save you. He'll never know that I'm right there," Marvel said.

My eyes widened at his suggestion and I scoffed. He was absolutely wrong if he thought that I was going to help him with his stupid plan. There was no way in hell that I was letting him stab me or the leg or that I was going to stab myself. I had had quite enough of being stabbed and cut up for one lifetime. No more of me getting hurt for the Games. I wasn't hurting myself just to help him. I would take my chances against him in the Death Match.

"Honestly, you think I'm going to stab myself for you? Fuck you," I hissed.

Marvel rolled his eyes. I knew that he was getting quickly frustrated with me. "Relax, there's medicine back at the Cornucopia. I'll bring it to you before we ever even start the plan. You just have to lay there and then you get to fix yourself up. That's it," he said.

I was astounded at how he made horrid things look like they were a stroll in the park. It came with being a Career, I supposed. For a moment I thought about the plan. It wasn't bad but there were a few vital flaws in it. And as long as Cato was thinking, he would figure them out. Plus the Sponsors would be furious if they thought that I was going to kill Cato. They wanted the two of us to be together.

"It isn't a bad plan but don't you think he'd be a little suspicious of who would have caught me off guard?" I asked.

"Probably not. I caught you off guard."

My jaws set. "Let's think about whose left here. There's me, you, and the rest of the Careers. Plus Ethan and Peeta. But they'll all be back at the Cornucopia so it can't be them. Then there's Finch but she has no weapons. Then there's little Rue who we both know wouldn't hurt me. And there's Thresh. He carries a sword not a wooden knife. That leaves only the District 7 female and I'm relatively sure that she uses an axe," I said.

Her District partner's face flashed through my mind and I shook it off. "Then it's hers," Marvel groaned. "He doesn't think like you do. He stabs first and thinks second. And like I said, Aspen, he loses all rational thought when you're around. He'll never see it coming. You just lay there on the ground and play hurt and I'll do all the heavy lifting. You won't ever have to kill him. I'll do it for you. I just need a little help," he said.

It was obvious that he was thinking that he was going to be the first on the chopping block with the Careers. Maybe he would be first on the chopping block. He would be the next biggest physical threat. As much as it bugged me, Cato would be able to take out the girls without problem. I wondered when they would get him if I said no. Probably once Thresh and Peeta were gone. I shook my head at him and walked over to a tree as he slipped the knife back into his boot.

"Like I said, it won't work. He'll know that something's up the second that you invite him to go hunting with you. And he conveniently finds me injured on the ground? He's going to know that there's something going on. And when he hears you he'll kill you and then who does he have to be angry with? Me. And he won't be easy on me if he thinks that I betrayed him. No thanks," I said.

The whole thing wasn't worth it. If I was going to die at the hands of Cato it was going to be because I wasn't strong enough, not because a plan backfired. I also really wasn't in the mood to lose my Sponsors because they thought that I was betraying him. Marvel growled at me and took a few steps forwards. I was standing back against the tree and I felt butterflies fluttering in my stomach. But it wasn't the type that I got when Cato was around. These were jittery.

"You do this and you improve your chances to win. If he figures it out then it's two against one. Still pretty good odds," he said.

He was right but chances were that one of us would still die in the fight. "Not good enough," I said.

"I can see it, Aspen, You want to do this. I'll give you a little bit of time to think about it," Marvel said.

"I don't need time."

"Its day nine now. I'll come back two days from now and you tell me whether or not you accept my offer. I'll be here at noon and I'll stay until sunset. If you come then the deal is on," he said.

"Okay," I said, before I could stop myself.

At least he was giving me time to think about it. My brain went into overdrive and I leaned into him slightly. He smirked at me and I sighed. I had been hoping that he would back off but he only stayed right in my face. I was desperate to leave now. I wanted to be away from him.

"Let's say I don't accept," I said, with my eyebrow raised.

He smirked and leaned in as close as he could without pressing his lips to mine. I wanted nothing more than to punch him but I really wasn't ready to die yet. "Then you've made a dangerous new enemy," he said.

"And you weren't my enemy before?" I asked.

"We don't have to be," Marvel said, smirking at me. "I'll be seeing you soon, Twelve. Good luck and think about this. It's our one chance to really win this thing. Make the right choice."

Dumbfounded I watched as he grabbed his jacket and pulled it on before turning and grabbing his spear. I tightened my hold on my knife and watched as he smirked when he saw my movement. He turned away from me and began to move through the woods. I let out a deep breath when he disappeared from my sight that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Once I was sure that I was alone again I took my canteen out. I needed to get water in it now. I was going to head to the mountains and get settled there. Somewhere that was far away from stupid Marvel and Cato freaking Hadley.

In District 2...

Only about three hours had passed since the Hadley residence had began to watch the television together but the air had shifted drastically. Damien was pacing back and forth across the room muttering curses under his breath. He looked ready to throw anything in his sight. He couldn't believe that after everything that his son had done for her that she was going to sell him out like that. His son had done everything for her. He had nursed her back to health twice. He was the reason that she had the Sponsors that she did. He was the one that had saved her life.

He had been there for her since the beginning of the Games and here she was ready to sell him out. Damien was convinced that Cato wasn't going to hurt her. But now she was going to hurt him. She had seemed like she might actually be a decent person but then Marvel had come along and offered her a way out. And now she was going to take it. He was sure that her family was ecstatic that she had a way out of this but here in District 2 she had become the main target of the Games.

Unlike the rest of her family, Alana was sitting in her chair calmly. It wasn't anything that surprised her. From time to time Careers would go outside the pack to try and eliminate the main threat before the real fighting started. Cato was definitely the main threat. She wasn't shocked that Marvel had become desperate to take out her son. And it was completely unsurprising that he had gone to Aspen for help. He was right about one thing. Cato became a totally different person when Aspen was around, especially when she was injured. Alana was sure that Marvel was right about Cato losing his head when he saw her hurt.

But Aspen had some pretty good points about her son as well. She seemed to be leaning towards saying no to the plan but there was always a little bit that they could be concerned about. Aspen was right about the fact that Cato would know that something was up the moment that Marvel would offer him to go hunting. But it would have been a lie to say that she wasn't worried for her son. She didn't believe that Aspen would take the offer but she knew that Aspen would be smart to take it. She really had no idea what the young girl would do. No one did.

Dean had ordered the youngest members of his family into Aidan's bedroom when he realized that his father was going to explode in a rampage about the young girl and her potential deal with Marvel. They were still trying to keep the youngest members of the family somewhat innocent. They didn't need to see their father the way that he was about to be. He was going to lose his mind. Aidan was now taking care of Leah and Marley in his bedroom until his father calmed down. Not that Aidan wanted to be in there. He wanted to see what was going to happen.

All of the Hadley's had nasty tempers but Damien's had always been the worst. For the time being he was just pacing quickly muttering terrible curses under his breath. Dean himself paced a few times, wondering what Aspen was going to do. He didn't think that she had the heart to do it but she had surprised them all more than once. He didn't know how they would all get over it if she took the offer and killed his younger brother. Dean just knew that if she did this, if she killed him and then won, it didn't matter what kind of punishment he would get. He would find her and kill her.

Like her mother-in-law, Carrie was calm about the whole ordeal. She loved Cato with all of her heart but she trusted her brother to know what to do. If they went through with the plan then Cato would know what was going on. Maybe Aspen would warn him somehow. Then they could kill Marvel. For some reason she didn't think that Aspen would do it and she seriously hoped that she wouldn't. The girl was only about a year and a half younger than Carrie and she would be curious to meet her. She wanted to know what was going through her head right now. Whatever it was, she knew that it wasn't clear.

Carrie was following her father-in-law closely, grabbing anything that would easily shatter. She knew that he had a real temper on him and this was testing it more than anything ever had. "That little bitch!" Damien finally yelled.

He saw everyone jump at his voice but he was furious. "Be quiet," Alana warned.

Damien ignored her. No stupid little District 12 Tribute was going to kill his son. Not after all of the training and time that his entire family had put in. "She's going to take his offer!" Damien hissed.

"You don't know that," Carrie said.

"Of course I do. There has to be something that we can do. We have to warn him or make sure that he kills Marvel and then goes after her," Damien growled to his family, desperate for an option.

Standing from her spot for the first time all day, his wife walked over to him and grabbed his hand tightly. Both Carrie and Dean stepped into the corner, watching the older couple. "You know that's against the rules. No one can warn him about what's happening in the other parts of the arena or the outside world," Alana told her husband.

He pulled away from her and she watched him go sadly. "We have to do something," Damien muttered.

Alana was upset about her son too but she was more nervous while her husband was angry. "We can't. We knew ahead of time that something might happen. There was always a chance that something like this could happen," she said.

Stepping up to the older couple, Carrie strode across the room and picked up a lamp that had fallen during Damien's rampage. "Calm down. Look at her. She's completely torn," Carrie said.

She was pointing back to the television. They all turned to look at it. No one had looked at her since Marvel had left. While Marvel was heading back to the Career camp the screen was focused on Aspen's face. Her face was twisting and contorting as she thought about what her choices were. She was making it to the river so she could get water. Caesar and Claudius were - along with the Capitol - panicking at the change of pace in the arena.

"She won't do it. Whether or not she wants to admit it she's terrified of Cato. She wouldn't dare cross him," Carrie told her father-in-law, hoping that she could get him to calm down.

Dean joined the trio and laid his arm over the shoulders of his wife. "She's right," Dean said.

"He'll be fine," Carrie said.

Damien glared darkly at Dean and he abashedly dropped his arm. "Maybe she'll go to him and tell him that Marvel is plotting to kill him. Maybe she'll help him," Dean offered.

He wasn't the brightest of the Hadley's but he was always at least trying to look on the bright side of things. His father scoffed and walked to the television, staring at it as Aspen came through the woods and reached the river. She looked like she was going to collapse.

"Fat chance," he said.

Damien leaned onto the television and stared at her. He was staring so hard that Dean thought that his father might burn a hole through his television if he continued his staring. Alana walked up to her husband and stood close behind him. She knew that he was upset and right now it wasn't a good idea to touch him. But he needed to know that someone was there for him.

"Like she said, Cato is smart. He'll know that something is up the minute that Marvel offers him to go hunting. He'll figure it out, he's trained for all of this," Alana tried to reassure the man that she loved.

"He was never trained for anything like this," Damien answered her lowly.

In The Arena...

The river came into view and I sighed. My head was starting to thump so I knew that I was in need of water. I was getting dehydrated. But now I didn't really even want the water. I would have rather had someone come by and drown me. It certainly would have made my problems a little bit easier. Where was the District 9 boy when I needed him? Maybe I should have let him drown me the other day. At least I wouldn't be in this spot right now. I knew that all over Panem people were wondering what my next move was going to be with baited breath. Would I betray the boy I supposedly loved?

Cato's family was probably screaming at the television and starting a riot to kill me. Marvel's family were probably praying that I would take the deal so their son could come home. My family was probably cheering on the deal too, happy that I wouldn't have to deal with killing him. But what was I supposed to do? Did I join Marvel and take out Cato or stay away from the deal and have one more person that was determined to kill me? I could tell Cato what was going on. Was it worth it? What if Marvel got away? He would come after me and make sure that I didn't make it to the end of the Games.

Marvel was right about one thing. I couldn't kill Cato. This entire time I had been fooling myself by saying that it was possible to win and forget that I had ever had to take his life. It would tear me apart if I took his life. No part of me wanted to admit it but I loved Cato. He had somehow gotten my heart to thaw and he was wrapped around it now. The smart option was to join Marvel and hope that the plan went well. But how did I know that the medicine he was going to give me was real? I supposed that I could put it on my face first and see if it healed the cut. I sighed and dropped onto the bank of the river.

Letting my hair down I sighed at the sight of it. It was curly and nearly brown from all of the grease that had been built up. The tips were still a bright blonde but they were charred and breaking from the flames. The hair at the roots was all clumped together and it flew out in huge waves. I smirked as I thought about everything that Cato would be saying to me right now. I was sick of this. Everything that I did was always tied back to Cato. Things were so much simpler before I had ever volunteered. But I knew that the moment that I had volunteered that everything would change, whether or not I won.

Leaning back, I dipped my hair into the river and pulled it out, squeezing the excess water. I needed a bath badly and I was tempted to take one, but it wasn't worth the risk. I would just take a long one once I got back to the Capitol. Without Cato. One way or another I would get back there without him. I pulled my hair tie onto my wrist and dunked my canteen into the water. It filled and I smiled as I tightened the cap. Cato could wait. I was going to head into the mountains and I wasn't going to come out until there was only one person standing. And then it wouldn't matter who it was. I would kill them and I would win.

My hands were still slightly blistered from the fire so I decided to just go for it. I waded into the shallow end of the water and sighed. It felt so good. In the meantime I slid my canteen into my pack and glanced up to the mountains. They were probably about half a day's trip so I would need to head out now if I wanted to get a head start. I shouldered my pack and went to stand up. Just as I raised up I heard the soft call of voices. I looked around for a tree to hide in but by the time I had spotted a suitable one they had already spotted me.

"Oh, there she is," Glimmer cheered.

"There she is!" Marvel added happily.

They were all laughing and cheering loudly. I stared at the Careers in horror as they started to run after me. Without a second thought I pushed myself out of the water and sprinted off towards the tree that I had spotted. I wished that I hadn't gotten in the water. My feet were a little slippery and it was almost hard to run. I just hoped that the Careers would get caught up as they tried to chase me down. I hated the excitable look on Cato's face. He was cheering happily along with the rest of the Careers.

"She's mine!" Glimmer shouted.

"Come on!" Clove yelled.

"Oh, not if I get her first!" Cato added.

I'm a damned idiot. He didn't love me at all. It was always just a joke. "Where are you gonna go?" Marvel called.

Finally I managed to gain some distance. The tree rose in the distance and I sighed. The branches were hard enough for the average Tribute to climb but not hard enough for me to scale. So I grabbed onto the first of the limbs and lifted myself up. I climbed up the tree quickly and hit the branches heavily as I scurried up the branches. I had to be careful not to break the thinner ones near the top. A squirrel would be proud of me if they could see me now. I had made it up the tree faster than I had ever thought was possible. I was at the top of the oak tree and clinging onto the base tightly.

By now I was about thirty-five feet off of the ground. I would just have to hope that I was high enough to avoid anything that they got to me with. I glanced around their group and quickly realized that Ethan wasn't with them. He must be guarding the Cornucopia. I was sure that Finch was having a field day with that. Lucky girl. Standing up weakly I grabbed the trunk tightly and tucked the letter from President Snow into my jacket tightly. The last thing I needed was for that to fall out right now. I couldn't give them any more of an advantage than they already had.

My only consolation was that most of them looked pretty beaten up. Glimmer was holding a bow and arrow in her hands and part of me wanted to dive down and rip it from her hands. That should be mine. She couldn't even use the damn thing. I was sure that I could kill them all if I had the bow. Glimmer was looking up at me with a cruel smile and I glared back down at her. She looked like she hadn't even been in a fight yet and I looked like a cave person. Bloody face with bruises all over me and torn clothes.

Luck might have been on my side right now. There was a reason it was Katniss and me and not Gale who ventured up to pluck the highest fruit, or rob the most remote bird nests. I must have weighed at least fifty or sixty pounds less than Coral - the smallest Career. Hopefully I would be safe up here. Either until I could figure out a better plan or they would get bored. They all managed to come up to the tree within seconds. For a moment they just stood there. I managed to plaster a smile on my face.

"How's it going?" I asked.

That took them aback. But Cato recovered quickly. "Well enough. You?" he asked.

"It's a bit warm for my taste," I said.

The Capitol people must have been in stitches. Even Cato's lips quirked upwards. "What you got up there, baby?" Glimmer asked, sick of the banter.

She had obviously seen me tuck the letter away. "Why don't you come on up and see?" I asked.

Cato stepped up to the branch with his sword in hand. "I think I will," he said.

I grabbed one of my knives and held it tightly. I didn't want to do it, but if it were me or him I would. "Kill her Cato!" Glimmer called, as he made his way up the tree to get to me.

"I'm coming for you!" he yelled to me.

"Way to go, Girl on Fire!" Marvel yelled.

"Keep climbing, Miss Antaeus!" Clove added.

"That's not gonna help you up there, Aspen!" Glimmer shouted.

"Where are you going?" Clove asked as I went up a few more branches.

There was a sneaky smirk in Cato's eyes. My heart beat quickened as I looked at him. Maybe I had overestimated just how well this would work. Maybe he would be able to make it all the way up the tree. His normally bright blue eyes were so dark that they almost looked black. This was the Cato that I had originally been terrified. This was the Cato that was the full Career. He didn't care who I was. The others were screaming from the ground for him to kill me as Cato climbed, his eyes full of danger.

But behind the menace I could tell that he didn't want to do it. He hit the branch a few feet below me and I heard the branch crack. It broke and I watched Cato fall from the tree in horror. He hit the ground with a loud thud and I looked down to him. He was swearing like a fiend as he stood. I found myself grateful that he hadn't been hurt. It would have been easier for him to die from the fall but part of me had hoped that he was okay. Glimmer sighed and grabbed her bow, nocking an arrow and aiming it at me. I watched as she shot it off and I ducked to the side. Her arrow came within a few inches of me but she missed.

"I'll do it myself," Cato growled.

He grabbed the bow from her. He shot an arrow and I squealed. It had barely missed me by a hair. If I hadn't moved I would have been skewered back against the tree. What the hell was that about the other night, when he had told me that he didn't want to hurt me? I looked down at him and glared. Apparently we were no longer leaving each other alone until the Death Match. I guessed that our truce was over now. Marvel was staring at me with a smirk and I looked away from him. Peeta was staring at me like he was worried for me and I shook my head at him. I didn't want his pity.

"Get her!" Glimmer shouted.

"Come on. Come on," Marvel yelped as Clove threw a knife.

She was the one that I knew that I would have to be careful with. It was an odd angle. They would be better off trying with the bow but none of them were good enough. Cato, Peeta, and Marvel only had one weapon each that they couldn't lose. Glimmer was lousy with the bow and I had a feeling that Coral didn't have great aim. The knife lodged into the tree a few inches from my head and I gasped. I grabbed the knife and tucked it into my belt, much to the displeasure of Clove.

"Thanks for the knife," I told Clove.

She looked furious. "You're welcome," she said between gritted teeth.

I turned away from the branch and sat down slowly. "Maybe you should throw the sword," I told Cato.

There was something between fury and mirth that flashed through his eyes. He wasn't the type to like losing and I was sure that was probably was about to throw the sword up to me in hopes that it would skewer me against the tree. But he wouldn't. He wanted to actually feel my blood on his hands when he died. And he would still lose the sword. Just as it looked like Cato was about to make an angry remark to me turned away. The Careers started to growl conspiratorially among themselves. They were furious that I had made them look foolish. But twilight were here and their window of attack on me was closing.

Finally Peeta cut in. "Let's just wait her out. She's gonna come down at some point. That or she's gonna starve up there," he said.

There went not hurting each other. I had been planning on leaving at night. I turned my angry gaze on him. That was the first time that I had heard him speak in a week and it was to make me starve. To think that I had ever been friends with him. Part of me hoped that he would win just so that Katniss could tear him a new one. She'd shoot him straight through the throat. The Careers stared at me for a moment before Cato finally nodded. His eyes still remained locked on mine.

"Okay. Somebody make a fire," he ordered.

They didn't say anything else as Cato sat down on a rock and started twirling his sword in his hands. They all walked off and went about their business. Clove made them a fire for the six of them to sit around. I ended up staring into the foliage trying to will myself to rest. But I couldn't. My thoughts were down with the Careers. Birds were settling down for the night and singing lullabies to their young. Night creatures emerged. An owl hooted. The faint scent of a skunk cut through the smoke from the fire. The eyes of some animal peered at me from another tree - likely a possum - catching the firelight from the Careers' fire.

They all sat together and chatted. A ways into the night I noticed that Cato was letting the tip of his sword linger in the fire. He pulled it out after a few moments for me to spot that the tip was bright white. I cringed and looked away. I would love to never see fire again in my life. Cato spat on the tip of the sword to cool it down. Glimmer laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Boys," she said, giggling and looking around at the others.

It wasn't long after that when I watched as Cato ordered Glimmer to keep watch for the night. They all settled in and I watched as one by one the Careers fell asleep. Cato was lying on the ground about two meters from the base of the tree that I was in. Glimmer was sitting right at his side and my teeth ground together. Even though I shouldn't care. He had betrayed me. He was planning on either killing me or waiting me out until I starved. Not long after Panem's anthem played and I stared at the seal on the night sky. There were no deaths today and the sky faded back to black.

Right now this was entertaining enough. They didn't need a death. I stared down at the Careers and their dying fire. Glimmer was starting to doze off and I knew that I just had to wait them out for a while. My teeth were grinding together at the sight of Glimmer half-asleep on Cato's arm. Not that I should care. Once she was fully asleep I could sneak off and I would be fine. Maybe I'd take some of them out along the way. Cato first. The Capitol coouldn't say anything. He had betrayed me first. I could head to the mountains and forget that this had ever happened. I twirled a knife in my hand and stared at Cato.

Part of me wanted to chuck it into his skull and be done with it but I couldn't. Despite the fact that he had tried to kill me today and had looked so eager to do it. I growled and began to seriously consider taking Marvel's offer and then moving to the mountains. The night went by quickly and I continued to wait for Glimmer to fall asleep. I knew that she was passed out but now I was so exhausted from the day that I had begun to fall asleep too. My head was back resting against the tree and I was nearly asleep when an irritating sound began to sound from my right.

"Pssst. Pssst," the voice kept going.

What the hell was happening? I glanced over to my right and realized that the sun was starting to come up. Day ten of the arena was over and I would have to get out of here soon unless I wanted to wait until day eleven to move on. I needed to leave now. No time to wait and attack them. That was when I realized that the possum eyes weren't from possums at all. Looking to my right again I realized that Rue was in the tree next to me. She was hanging just a few branches above me. I looked over to her in shock and she put a finger to her lip. I nodded and watched as she pointed straight up.

Up? I couldn't go any further up. The branch that I was on was already too thin. It would break if I made too much of a movement. Any higher and I knew that they would start cracking. A fall from this height definitely might kill me. I followed where she was pointing too and gasped at what was hanging above me. A huge nest that I had thought was a bee hive. It might have been a beehive. But I refused to believe that the Capitol would put something so simple in the arena. As I looked closer I realized that it wasn't bees at all. It was a nest full of Tracker Jackers.

They were another one of the Capitol mutts and I nodded my thanks to her. Tracker Jackers weren't nearly as nasty as the wolf mutt that I had encountered earlier but they weren't friendly at all. If they were bothered they would sting a person just like bees did. But the Tracker Jacker was venomous. The venom was enough to cause severe hallucinations and could cause a person to pass out for a few days. Normally they weren't lethal but if you were stung enough times the venom had the potential to kill you.

Like the Jabberjay's, the killer wasps were spawned in a lab and strategically placed, like land mines, around the Districts during the war. They were larger than regular wasps and had a distinctive solid gold body with a sting that raised a lump the size of a plum on contact. Most people couldn't tolerate more than a few stings. Some died at once. If you lived, the hallucinations brought on by the venom had actually driven people to madness. And there was another thing. The wasps would hunt down anyone who disturbed their nest and attempt to kill them. That was where the tracker part of the name came from.

After the war the Capitol destroyed all the nests surrounding their city, but the ones near the Districts were left untouched. Another reminder of our weakness, I supposed, just like the Hunger Games. Another reason to keep inside the fence of District 12. Whenever Gale, Katniss and I came across a Tracker Jacker nest, we would immediately head in the opposite direction. We'd come close to being stung once and we had never wanted to feel that panic again.

Turning back to Rue I realized that she was making a sawing motion with her hand. My eyes brightened as I finally figured out what she wanted me to do. Cut the nest down. If I cut the nest then it would fall straight onto the sleeping Careers. They would scatter and I would be able to get away with no risk of them catching me. Hopefully they would all just be in a panic to get away from the insects. I nodded to her and she smiled at me before darting through the trees. If I ever ran into Rue again I would have to thank her. Slipping my pack off of my shoulders slowly I grabbed my cutting knife and held it up to the branch.

It took me a few seconds to climb up the tree and figure something out. The branches were narrow and I was risking accidentally causing one of them to break. So I just had to move slowly and inch along the branches. Unfortunately the part of the branch that I had to saw was thick. It meant that I would have to rush it. I was surprised that the Tracker Jackers weren't moving around much as I made my way to the top of the branch. They were rather subdued. But that was when I realized that it was the smoke from the fire. It was the one defense that the Districts found against them in the war.

Below me I could see Clove stirring and I knew that she would be awake in a few minutes. I pressed my knife to the branch and began to pull it back and forth. With every little saw that I made the Tracker Jackers became more and more irritable. My heart rate picked up. I was definitely risking my life. One of the insects flew out of the hive and stung me. I hissed in pain and slapped the bug but it was too late. I already felt the effects of the venom. The little fuckers worked fast. Making as quick of work that I could, I sawed the branch as the insects became more aggressive and began to sting me.

Glimmer was sleeping pressed up against Cato and I hoped that she would take the blunt of the impact. I was determined to keep working. The branch was about to fall. I could tell that I had been stung at least three times already. With one last saw the branch began to crack and I slipped the knife into my pants, knowing that gravity would do the rest of the work. The venom was fast acting and I knew that I had to get a move-on. The world was swerving and I watched as the branch finally fell to the ground and exploded on the sleeping Careers. Their yells began immediately as they stood and ran away from the scene in a frenzy.

"Run! Run! Run!" I could hear Clove shouting.

"Damn it. Go!" Cato yelled.

His figure disappeared through the trees along with the others. Moving down the branches I lost my footing and fell off of the trunk of the tree to the ground. I hit it roughly and stood as quickly as I could without vomiting. Taking slow and stumbling steps I made my way away from the Tracker Jackers and leaned onto the trees. Seneca Crane was stepping out of the trees and was beckoning me to come to him. I tried to say no and run away, but nothing worked. Instead I fell and hit the ground again.

The nest was nothing but an empty shell. The wasps had vanished in pursuit of the others. I didn't think that they would return, but I also didn't want to risk it. So I staggered in the opposite direction of the lake. The poison from the stingers was making me wobbly but I found my way back to my little pool and submerged myself in the water in case any wasps were on my trail. After about five minutes I dragged myself onto the rocks. People hadn't exaggerated the effects of the Tracker Jacker stings. The one on my knee was closer to an orange than a plum in size.

A foul-smelling green liquid oozed from the places where I was pulling out the stingers. I knew that I needed to get to a good hiding place. My struggle was getting harder by the minute now. I had to find cover soon. But the world looked like I was looking through a kaleidoscope and everything was spinning. The figure of a person came charging through the woods and for a moment I thought that it was Cato. They had the same blonde hair and blue eyes but they were smaller. I could tell that the sword they were carrying wasn't his. It was the other blonde haired and blue eyed Tribute. The boy who had betrayed me. My District partner.

"Peeta," I barely managed to breathe out.

I knew that I should have run or stabbed him but some part of me was grateful that he was here. After all, his suggestion of starving me out was the reason that I was still alive and not being skewered by Glimmer. "Aspen, no!" he yelled.

"Peeta," I repeated.

He ran up to me and grabbed me by the arms. He was shaking me and I wanted to warn him that I might throw up but it was like I had lost the ability to speak. "What're you doing? Go! Please do something. Aspen, go! Get out of here! What're you doing? Go!" he yelled, shoving me away from him.

Finally I began to stumble away from him like I had drank way too much. I couldn't even begin to fathom how Haymitch constantly felt like this. It was awful. I was both seeing and hearing things and I felt like a lamb trying to walk for the first time. The cave, I just need to get to the cave. I'm not that far. My feet began to move one in front of the other but I was still falling as I made my way back to the cave. I wasn't even sure if I was going in the right direction. But I needed to get away from here.

That was when I remembered the bow. The bow! Glimmer had it and the cannon just went off. I was pretty sure that it was a cannon. It had to be for her. She was the slowest. The Tracker Jackers had vanished. Glimmer, as much as I hated to admit it, so breathtakingly beautiful in her golden dress the night of the Interviews, was unrecognizable. Her features were eradicated and her limbs were three times their normal size. The stinger lumps had begun to explode, spewing putrid green liquid around her. I had to break several of what used to be her fingers with a stone to free the bow.

The sheath of arrows was pinned under her back. I tried to roll over her body by pulling on one arm, but the flesh disintegrated in my hands and I fell back on the ground. Was it real? Or had the hallucinations begun? I squeezed my eyes tight and tried to breathe through my mouth, ordering myself not to become sick. Breakfast has to stay down. It might be days before I would be good enough to hunt again. I had a bad feeling that I would be out for the count in the coming days.

I heard the birds fall silent and then one give the warning call, which meant a hovercraft was about to appear. Confused, I thought it was for Glimmer, although that didn't quite make sense because I was still in the picture, still fighting for the arrows. I lurched back onto my knees as the trees around me began to spin in circles. In the middle of the sky, I spotted the hovercraft. I threw myself over Glimmer's body as if to protect her. The hovercraft hesitated for a second. Maybe they were waiting for me to do it.

"Do it!" I commanded myself.

Clenching my jaw, I dug my hands under Glimmer's body, got a hold on what must have been her rib cage, and forced her onto her stomach. I couldn't help it, I was hyperventilating now. The whole thing was so nightmarish and I was losing my grasp on what was real. I tugged on the silver sheath of arrows, but it was caught on something. Her shoulder blade. I finally yanked it free. I had just encircled the sheath with my arms when I hear the footsteps coming through the underbrush. The Careers were coming back. They were coming back to kill me or get their weapons or both.

But it was too late to run. I pulled a slimy arrow from the sheath and tried to position it on the bowstring but instead of one string I saw three and the stench from the stings was so repulsive that I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. I can't do it. That was When Caesar Flickerman stepped out of the woods in a white suit. I glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow. Why was he out here? Was he coming to tell me that I was too old and it was time for me to leave? Please.

"Tracker Jacker stings... produce powerful hallucinations," Caesar said.

"Help me," I whispered.

He liked me. I could remember that from the Interviews. I stumbled through the woods with my grip on the bow tightly. I couldn't lose it now. Not when I'd just fought so hard to get it. Caesar vanished and I whimpered softly. He needed to help me. I couldn't do this. What was happening to me? Was all of this really here? There was a flash of blonde hair and I turned to call out to Peeta. There was no way that I was getting out of here without his help. He might have betrayed me but I needed his help right now.

I saw his figure turn the corner of a tree and I smiled. But I quickly realized that this Tribute was to big and too angry looking to be my District partner. No. It was someone worse than the Tracker Jackers. Cato sprinted up to me and I turned to run but I fell again. I pushed myself off of the ground but as soon as I did I felt him grab me. He sent me flying back into a tree and I coughed as the world spun again and colors began to light up his angry face. Cold steel was pressed to my throat and I gulped. He was finally going to kill me.

"You're fucking kidding me right? You dropped a damn Tracker Jacker nest on us!" Cato howled.

"Technically it fell," I mumbled.

"What the hell was that for, Aspen?" he growled.

He dug the blade into my throat and smacked my head back into the tree. The bow dropped from my hands. I saw his gaze quickly drop to the bow. Were his eyes always pink? I could feel the bile building in my throat and for a while I really wanted to vomit on him. He probably wouldn't have appreciated that. But instead I willed my voice to work. My head was rolling around freely on my shoulders and I was barely able to focus on him.

"Are you nuts? You tried to kill me! I had to do something or you would have waited me out all night and until I starved. I couldn't just risk jumping down. Blame your little Glimmer. She was the one that fell asleep and gave me the chance to do it," I hissed, knowing that I was slurring most of my words.

"The bow. That was your plan? All of this for the bow!" he shouted.

"The bow was an added bonus. I just wanted to get away. She couldn't use it anyways."

"So you dropped the Tracker Jacker nest!"

"Blame your girlfriend!"

Without giving me any warning he reeled his hand back and slapped me across the face. My world went black and I thought that I had passed out. My legs were almost useless underneath me. If my head hadn't been spinning a second ago it certainly was now. But a moment later I came back to and stared at him in shock. He had never really hit me before and I had never seen him look so angry with me before. Not even before we'd bonded.

"You little idiot," he hissed. I felt my heart drop. "Did you really think that I fell off of that branch?"

"You were too heavy."

"Of course! I knew which branches could and couldn't support my weight! I took the fall so I wouldn't have to hurt you!" He was looking at me like I had betrayed him. "You think that I don't know how to shoot a bow? I might not be as good as you but I do know what I'm doing!" he shouted.

"No..." I whispered.

"When have you ever known me to just give up on a Tribute hunt? I gave Glimmer the night shift because I knew that she would fall asleep. I did it all so that you could get away!"

"No," I repeated.

"And what did you do? You dropped a nest of Tracker Jackers on me," he seethed.

There was no way that he had done all of that. I felt the guilt build up anyways. I hadn't thought about it that way. I'd immediately jumped to the most violent conclusion I could think of. I hadn't thought that running off would have been the better idea. My hand dropped to his hip as I saw that he was flinching every time that he twisted slightly. I raised his shirt and saw him flinch again. His entire body had tensed as I let my hand wander over the insect bite on his hip.

It was huge and what I assumed to be red. Right now it looked purple and blue polka dots to me. It was even larger than the one on my knee. Although that one now appeared to be larger than my knee. My head was pounding as I weakly stumbled against Cato's body. My hand ghosted over his wound and I pushed his pants down slightly so that I could see the wound better. My hand was dangerously low but I didn't really care about anything right now.

"You got stung. Let me help you," I said to him pathetically.

He was right about everything. He had tried to let me go without having to hurt him. He hadn't betrayed me. I had actually been the one to betray him first. But it had been an honest mistake. I had hurt him more than I had ever meant to and I knew that I had to do something to make it up. He shoved my hand off of his hip and pushed his sword back into my throat, forcing me to let go of his torso.

"No. You're done helping me and I'm done helping you."

"I didn't know," I said desperately.

"You should have. Remember? I'm not what you expected." My heart gave a painful lurch. "Now I am. I'm not going to kill you now because I still want that fair shot at you for the Death Match. You wouldn't even be standing now if I wasn't holding onto you. I'm going to kill you, Aspen. Intimately. In every way that I know you fear most," he growled.

My eyes widened in shock. "No... You won't," I muttered.

"I will. And when I'm done I hope that the little girl was watching it all. I hope she knows that the only reason that you're here is because she got Reaped and you saved her. She'll know that it's her fault that you're dead."

Every part of me felt like it had just died. It felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. I couldn't believe that he had just said something like that to me. He had never said something like that - not even when we'd hated each other. I wasn't sure that it was the Tracker Jacker venom or just the fact that what he had said had broken my heart. I wrenched my arm away from his grasp and slapped him as hard as I could across the face. Tears began to stream down my face and they were making it even harder to see.

"I hate you," I told him softly as he stared me down.

"Good," he said.

He gave me no chance to respond before grabbing me and bringing my mouth to his. I tried to fight him off and push myself away from him but he only tightened his grip and sunk his sword into my throat. I tasted some of the awful-smelling venom as he kissed me desperately. I felt blood trickle down my neck and I knew that he had made me bleed. I didn't care. I wanted more. His mouth was pressed to mine harder than it had ever been before and I had never wanted him to not let go more. Finally he released me and wiped a tear that I had left on his face off.

"I'm glad that you hate me. You use that hate. You bottle it up and hate me more than you've ever hated anyone. And when the Death Match you try your hardest to kill me. Make me kill you," he said.

That was when the realization hit me. I took a step closer to him so that my neck was once more pressed against the blade of his sword. "That's what you want. You want me to hate you so that I'll kill you. You didn't mean anything that you just said. It was all a lie. All of it," I said.

Even through the Tracker Jacker venom I knew that I meant it. He didn't mean to kill me and he didn't mean the slap either. He only wanted to make me so mad that I would hate him. I would stew over how much I hated him that when I came back to find him at the Death Match I would give him the fight he always wanted and he would be forced to kill me. It was all so that he could make my death easier on himself. He growled and I saw the fury flash through his eyes. He backed off of me and I thought that he would admit that I was right but instead he grabbed my arm and threw me to the ground.

My head spun and I knew that I didn't have much more time before the venom finally got to me. "I meant it all. You're weak and never meant a thing to me. This has all just been for fun. Feel like a fool yet?" he asked.

There was a cruel grin on his beautiful face. Whether or not it was the venom, I saw that Cato's eyes had adopted the snake-like look that President Snow's normally did. My heart shattered into a million pieces at his words and I tried to stand up but it was no use. The venom was so far into my system that I could hardly even move anymore. My bow was near me but it was forgotten about for the time being. My tears were falling heavily now and he stared at me like I was nothing more than a pathetic speck of dust on his boots.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him softly.

He ignored me and sheathed his sword before turning his back on me. "Go find Peeta. He's about to die," he said.

My heart leaped into my throat. "What did you do to him?" I asked.

He had been fine the last time that I had seen him only ten minutes ago. He turned back to me as I tried to crawl after him but I knew that it was no use. "Goodbye, Twelve," he said.

He said nothing else before turning and stumbling slightly away from me. "Cato... Come back," I muttered.

His figure slowly disappeared and I hoped that he would look back, but he never did. Instead I was left in the middle of the woods by myself and badly injured. I needed to get back to the cave but the world was so jumbled that I didn't even know which way was left or right. I just knew where he had gone. I forced myself back to my feet and desperately tried to get somewhere that I could hide out the rest of the poison that the Tracker Jackers had infected me with.

All I wanted to do was chase after him. But I knew that I wouldn't be fast enough. But I had to try. So I stumbled back to my feet and forced myself back in the same direction that Cato had gone. I tried to follow his tracks but now there were footprints in the shape of a wolf's paw. I panicked and fell back on my hands and knees, stumbling away from the mutt. Grabbing my bow again and holding tightly to my bow and arrows, I set off. I was banging into trees that appeared out of nowhere and tripping and falling as I tried to keep my balance. I went back past my pool and into unfamiliar woods.

The world began to bend in alarming ways. A butterfly ballooned to the size of a house and then shattered into a million stars. Trees transformed to blood and splash down over my boots. Ants began to crawl out of the blisters on my hands and I couldn't shake them free. They were climbing up my arms and neck. Someone was screaming, a long high pitched scream that never broke for breath. I had a vague idea that it might have been me. I tripped and fell into a small pit lined with tiny orange bubbles that hummed like the Tracker Jacker nest. Tucking my knees up to my chin, I waited for death.

"Please," I whispered.

It was my own way of begging Cato to come back. I didn't want to die alone. If I was going to die I wanted someone to be with me. Then the ants started to bore into my eyes and I blacked out.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

The Tracker Jacker venom brought me into a never-ending nightmare from which I woke repeatedly only to find a greater terror awaiting me. All of the things I dreaded most, all of the things I dread for others manifested in such vivid detail that I couldn't help but to believe that they were real. Each time I woke, I kept thinking that, at last it was over, but it wasn't. It was only the beginning of a new chapter of torture.

How many ways did I watch Prim die? How many times did I watch her be slaughtered by the Careers, shot in the head by Peacekeepers, or slowly and painfully starve to death? How many ways could I see the final moments of my parent's life? How many times could I feel their blood spray across my face as their killer laughed? Or relive Mr. Everdeen's last moments, suffocating down in the mines? Or all of the times that I watched Katniss and Gale lose their lives in every horrible way that I knew and plenty more than I couldn't even have imagined? Even the numerous times that I felt my own body being ripped apart? There was a particular moment when Cato reached into my chest and literally ripped out my heart. That was one of the less gruesome deaths that I experienced.

That was the nature of the Tracker Jacker venom, so carefully created to target the places where fear lived in your brain. It knew exactly what I was afraid of and it preyed on it. It preyed on the memories of my stomach literally eating away at its own lining because I was starving. It preyed on the whipping post where I experienced real pain for the first time. It preyed on the two little markers by a chain link fence that marked my parents' graves. It even preyed on my love for Cato. That was what the worst was. Most of the fears were just reliving more gruesome versions of the memory of Cato and I's last conversation.

When I finally did manage to come to my senses, I laid still, waiting for the next onslaught of imagery. But eventually I accepted that the poison must have finally worked its way out of my system, leaving my body wracked and feeble. I was still lying on my side, locked in the fetal position. I lifted a hand to my eyes to find them sound, untouched by ants that never existed. I wasn't blind. Simply stretching out my limbs required an enormous effort. So many parts of me hurt that it didn't seem worthwhile taking inventory of them. Very, very slowly I managed to sit up. I was in a shallow hole, not filled with the humming orange bubbles of my hallucination but with old, dead leaves. My clothing was damp, but I didn't know whether pond water, dew, rain, or sweat was the cause.

Finally it had all ended. Light was pounding against my eyelids and I groaned. Somehow I had lived through the Tracker Jacker stings. It was rare for them to kill people but enough stings would cause paralysis and eventually death. I was pretty sure that nothing had come from the drop of the nest other than quite the startle to the sleeping Careers. That must have been one hell of a wake-up call. I didn't remember much after dropping the nest. It was only blurry images for most of the rest of my memory. The last real memory I had was dropping out of the tree before the argument with Cato and then nothing.

Had something else happened? I wasn't really sure. I couldn't remember if anyone had died during the attack. With my luck, probably not. All I had done was more than likely make some nasty new enemies. I wondered if the people in the Capitol had thought it was funny or if they hated me for endangering their precious Careers. If they did hate me it was very likely that I had lost a number of the Sponsors that I'd once had. I would have to be careful to not get injured where I needed medicine. There was no doubt that Katniss and Gale had found it hysterical. At least once they knew that I had lived.

The sun was right below the middle of the sky so I knew that it was about ten or eleven in the morning. It might have been a little later considering that the Gamemakers altered the time in the arena slightly from the time in reality. Either way I knew that it was about midday. It had been early morning when I had dropped the nest. But was it the same day? I didn't think so. The stiffness in every inch of my body was telling me that I had been passed out for at least a day and maybe more. Maybe more people had died. Maybe we were closer to the end.

Tracker Jackers were normally pretty nasty so I was sure that it had been more than a day that I was out. Slowly I sat up and realized that I wasn't just in a shallow hole, but I was now hidden under a fallen log with leaves and branches laid over me. Pulling them off of me and laying them to the side I realized that someone had wanted to hide me. But who would it have been? Someone that had to have the strength to drag me over here. Or had I fallen in here? I stood and realized that I had none of weapons or my pack with me and I had leaves over the Tracker Jacker things.

Slowly I stretched my legs out and stood from my spot under the log. I peeled off one of the leaves and stared at the odd paste that was under it. Clearly someone had moved here with the intent to heal me from the wounds. It had to be someone who cared about me. Who would have cared enough to save my life after I had done something as stupid as dropping a nest of Tracker Jackers on someone? And myself, accidentally. Someone with a big heart and a soft spot for me.

My mind flashed to Cato and I immediately shot it down. The Tracker Jackers caused hallucinations but nothing that he had told me the other day had been from a hallucination. He had said everything and he had meant it. My eyes began to water at the thought of what he had told me that day and I shook my head. I had to clear all of the thoughts from my head about what Cato had done or said. He wanted me to fight him at the end. That was what he would get. I would kill him just like I had always planned. But the question was whether or not I would ever be able to get over what I would do. I had no real answer.

Groaning slightly I looked around to see if I could find my things. But they were nowhere to be seen. Sighing deeply I decided to leave the area and hope that a Sponsor would take pity on me and send me a knife. I had been doing pretty well with supplies and now I had nothing. Damn it. The Careers were pissed at me for the Tracker Jacker nest and Cato was determined to kill me and I had no weapon. My idea with the Tracker Jackers was tuning out to be quite moronic. The person who had saved me had probably taken all of my things. At least they had spared me.

For a minute I plopped down. I'd almost missed the water canteen that was sitting underneath the brush. I'll be damned. Someone at least had somewhat of a heart. Maybe they had taken my things but at least they'd left me with some water. For a while I just slowly sipped on the water and watched a beetle crawl up the side of a honeysuckle bush. It took me a little too long to realize that the person could have poisoned the water but I decided that I didn't really care. They could have easily killed me before. So why do it with poisoned water?

Suddenly I started thinking of everyone else. I could vaguely remember a cannon. Someone had died. It wasn't Cato. I remembered seeing him. It wasn't Peeta either. I'd seen him too. It could have been Clove, Marvel, Coral, or Glimmer. It was probably Glimmer as she was the slowest. But then I remembered that Rue was there too. I didn't give her much of a head start before releasing the Tracker Jackers. She was so small. Just a few stings could have done her in and it would have been my fault.

A foul, rotten taste pervaded my mouth, and the water had little effect on it. I had to slow down anyways. I was about to go through it all. I dragged myself over to the honeysuckle bush and plucked a flower. I gently pulled the stamen through the blossom and set the drop of nectar on my tongue. The sweetness spread through my mouth, down my throat, warming my veins with memories of summer, and my home woods with Gale and Katniss's presence beside me. For some reason, our discussion from that last morning came back to me.

"We could do it, you know."

"What?"

"Take off. Live in the woods."

For just a second I wished that I had taken Gale up on his offer to live in the woods. Maybe I wouldn't have landed myself out here. And suddenly, I wasn't thinking of Gale but of Peeta. He saved my life. I think. By the time we met up, I couldn't tell what was real and what the Tracker Jacker venom had caused me to imagine. But if he did - and my instincts were telling me he did - what for? Was he simply working the Lover Boy angle he initiated at the Interview to try and win Katniss over? Or was he actually trying to protect me? If so, what was he doing with the Careers in the first place? None of it made sense.

Then I started wondering what Gale and Katniss made of the incident. They probably thought that it was very funny up until they realized the damage that I had done to myself. Then I pushed the whole thing out of my mind because Gale and Cato didn't coexist well together in my thoughts. Maybe it was because of the one kiss that I had shared with Gale before coming out here and falling in love with Cato. No. They didn't coexist well together in my thoughts at all. They never had.

All I wanted to do was get up and steal a weapon from one of the weaker Tributes. I was sick of being in here. I wanted out. And that meant finishing off those who remained. First I had to get some strength back. I was dehydrated again and my water supply was dangerously low. The little padding I had from gorging myself while in the Capitol was gone, plus several more pounds. My hip bones and ribs were more prominent than I could remember since those awful months after Mr. Everdeen's death. Then there were my wounds to contend with — burns, cuts, gashes, and bruises from smashing into the trees, and three Tracker Jacker stings, which were still sore and swollen.

It was easy to see the direction that I came in from by the path of destruction that my crazed body made through the foliage. So I decided to walk off in the other direction, hoping that my enemies still lie locked in the surreal world of the Tracker Jacker venom. I wouldn't be able to move too fast. My legs were reacting funnily with every step. Cracking my back once I went to move on when I heard a branch snapping.

Instinctively I went to grab for my knife but shook my head when I realized that nothing was there. Hopefully it was just an animal. I could fight but the chances were whoever was around me had a weapon. And I had nothing to fight back with. My heart was pumping loudly in my chest and I jumped when I saw a figure slip out from behind the trees. Glancing around I checked behind the tree and smiled when I saw the small figure that was peeking out from behind the tree. Smiling lightly at the figure I nearly laughed.

The youngest of the twenty-four Tributes stared at me. We were here together, the youngest and the oldest. She was a sweet little girl and I was glad that she looked reasonably unharmed. Maybe a little tired and hungry, but physically unscathed. She had clearly gotten through these Games easily so far. I wasn't shocked that it was Rue who had helped me. She was a sweet girl and we did have a little bit of a pact at the beginning of this. Plus she had been the one to point out the nest in the first place. I should have known that it was her. She had been in the area already and the Careers would have killed me.

Every inch of me was grateful that she had helped me out after the Tracker Jacker attack. Someone could have seen me where I'd managed to pass out. Giving the little girl as earnest of a smile as I can I took a step closer to her but made sure that I wasn't too close to her. The last thing that I needed was to startle her and have her run off. Especially when she had been the one to take my supplies and weapons from me. Maybe I could get them back.

"Rue? It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you," I told her softly.

She stared at me for a moment and I smiled at her brightly as she stepped out from behind the tree. She slowly walked over to me and I opened my arms as a smile spread over her face. For just a moment I wanted her to know that she was safe. She ran over and fell into my arms and I laughed lightly. She was so much like Prim that it hurt. I nearly cried in the younger girls shoulder but I forced myself to be strong. Prim would want me to be strong.

"Was this you?" I asked her.

She pulled away from me and I pointed to the leaves that were stuck on me. "Yes," she said.

Easily I slipped the leaves that were on my neck, collarbone, and shoulder off of me and tossed them to the ground. Rue rubbed off the paste and I nodded at her. "Thank you," I told her earnestly.

She smiled and nodded at me. She grabbed my hand and led me back over to the tree and we took a seat behind it. Glancing over I realized that it was the perfect spot to stay hidden from other Tributes but it was easy to see where I had been hidden. It seemed like Rue had been my silent guardian throughout these Games. She had found the Tracker Jacker nest to save me, she had healed the wounds, and she had been the one to hide me. Without realizing that I was doing it I looked around to see if I could figure out where she had put them away. I heard a small chuckle from Rue and I looked over to her.

"Sorry, I just wanted to get them out of the way while you were healing. They're right under the bushes," she said, pointing to a pair of bushes to our right.

"Thanks."

At least she hadn't put them too far away. I really would have been upset if I'd had to start from ground zero again. That was the last thing that I wanted. Nodding to her I stood and walked over to where the bushes met. It would definitely be enough cover that no one would have realized that anything was hidden down here. I glanced back at her to make sure that I was in the right spot and she nodded to me. Leaning under the bushes I reached in. For a minute I feared that the Gamemakers had put in some poisonous animal under the bush and it was going to jump out and kill me.

Shaking my head I reached under the bushes and felt the strap of my pack. Pulling it out I saw that the sword was tied to it and I turned back to smile at Rue. She really had taken care of me. I shook the pack around for a moment and pulled it onto me. I knew that she was honest so I doubted that she had stolen anything from me. Untying the sword I grabbed it off of the bag and hooked it around me. I reached under the bushes again and pulled out my knives, strapping them to my belt tightly.

It felt so good to have everything back on me. It felt fantastic to have my knives back on me. I would have to stop being such a baby and realize that it was time to fight. There could be no more of me trying to run away from fights. Something was definitely better about today. Plus this was the first time in a while that I was in nearly no physical pain. Turning away from the bushes I walked back over to Rue but before I could get to her she pointed back to the bushes.

"There's something else in there," she said.

My head tilted to the side. Was there something that I had forgotten? No, I had all the weapons. The knives and sword were my only weapons. I wanted the bow and arrow but Glimmer had it. And if she was dead they were likely lost. The Capitol would have taken them with her body. Maybe something had fallen out of the bag. But it didn't feel any different. So what was I missing? I didn't doubt Rue that there was something else under there. I was also positive that she wouldn't do anything malicious to me. She wasn't that type of person. Not yet at least. She was still innocent.

So I decided to go for it as I ducked under the bushes again and felt around. It was right behind where the rest of my things had been. My hand hit something cold and metal and I wondered if she had found another knife. But it was too heavy. I wrapped my hand around it and pulled it out. Standing I glanced down at what was in my hand and laughed loudly. It was the bow and arrows that Glimmer had been using. I looked over to Rue and motioned to the weapon.

"How did you get this? Did Glimmer drop it when she was running from the Tracker Jackers?" I asked the younger girl with a smile.

She was a good sneak. She must have been pretty careful with it. I couldn't imagine that Glimmer had wanted to give this thing up. She had become pretty fond of us even though she was next to useless with it. Turning the bow and arrows over in my hands I smirked. Katniss would love this thing. Her wooden bow was nice but the string was constantly breaking. I could tell that this was made to withstand a pretty bad beating. It would easily become my new best friend.

"No," Rue said slowly and I turned to her. There was no way that they had fought over it, so what had happened? "You don't remember what happened?"

"No," I said.

"When you dropped the nest most of the impact fell straight onto her. She tried to get away but she was too slow. They were swarming around her. I watched until they scattered. You went to the water to wash off. You came back about six minutes later and took the bow from her body," Rue explained.

"I don't even remember doing that," I said.

"I knew that you were going to pass out and you had mentioned that you were good with a bow. Once you passed out I grabbed everything and hid it."

My entire body went numb. For a moment I thought that it was a cruel joke, but Rue wasn't the kind of person to lie about something like that. "Glimmer is dead?" I asked, making sure that I had understood correctly.

"Yes."

The younger girl nodded slowly at me and I sighed deeply. I couldn't believe that. I had never meant to kill Glimmer. I didn't like her but I had never intended to take her life. I had always thought that Cato would. Glimmer was now the fifth Tribute that I had killed. Of course, it wasn't like I had slit her throat. It had been an accident and it really was the Tracker Jackers that had done the deed. I suppose that when it came down to it she was only one more Tribute down. One less that I would have to face later.

"Anyone else?" I asked Rue softly, praying for the safety of the few Tributes that I still cared for.

Rue seemed to think about it for a moment before she nodded at me and I sucked in a breath. For some stupid reason I prayed that she wouldn't say it was Cato. He had been horrible to me, but some part of me still loved him. Where was Katniss when I needed her? She would slap me silly if she could read my mind right now. And that was just what I needed. I also hoped that it wasn't Peeta. He had tried to save my life when he'd realized that Cato was coming for me.

"The girl from District 7," Rue said. I let out a silent breath of relief. "She went out yesterday. I think one of the Careers got her."

That was it. The last of the nameless Tributes were gone. Everyone that died from here on out I would know. It hurt to think about. Sighing again I nodded slowly at Rue. The Games were going by seemingly fast but I knew that it must have been almost two weeks that we had all been here. Things had dragged in the beginning but now they were starting to pick up. I looked to the sky and a sudden curiosity struck me.

"What day is it?" I asked Rue, staring at her intently.

The younger girl smiled at me and moved over slightly so that I had room to sit next to her. I took a spot and felt her lean into me slightly. It reminded me of the day that I had left District 12 and Prim had been leaning on both Katniss and I. She was so much like the little girl that it hurt.

"It's the twelfth day. There's nine of us left," she said.

I felt my heart drop. We both nodded and I let out a soft breath. Twelve days and there were only fifteen dead? There were years that more than that died at the Bloodbath. These Games were dragging out too long and the Gamemakers were probably ready to end this thing soon. There weren't going to be many days left. Five at the most probably. They were going to start drawing us together and forcing the Careers to fight. Those that remained anyways.

"That's so many. They'll do something to us soon. They don't want this dragging on for more than two weeks. They're gonna start speeding things up if we don't all get to fighting soon," I voiced my thoughts.

"I figured," Rue said.

She was no nonchalant about things like that. I couldn't believe how well she'd managed to hold herself together in the arena. She had done better than most of the older kids. She didn't need to hear things like that at this age but it was important that she knew that things were going to speed up soon. It wasn't going to be sitting around it the trees all day any more. Things were going to get bloody. Rue nodded to me with a sigh and I felt bad for ever saying anything.

"So you dragged me over here?" I asked her after a beat of silence.

She had ended up pulling me just slightly out of the place that I had originally fallen into. I was trying to lighten the mood but I wasn't sure how well that was going to work. Rue was shuffling her feet and I smiled lightly. That was something that Prim had always done when she was nervous. I had used to tease her about it. I would tell her that she was going to grind her toes to nubs if she kept doing that. At this rate she would probably have no toes left, I was sure that every day I made her nervous.

"Yep. You were surprisingly light," Rue said, almost like she had surprised herself.

Glancing over to the younger girl I saw that she was looking at me with a wide smile. She had an award winning smile. I was sure that it had earned her Sponsors during her Interview. I had even wanted to Sponsor her. She was adorable. The sappy Sponsors that didn't have as much money would have likely been there to help her, but they were still Sponsors. We both started to chuckle. I tried to keep my laughter down and so did Rue. It didn't seem like there were any Tributes here but it was always smart to be cautious. My stomach rumbled and I sobered immediately. I hadn't eaten lately and I was starving.

"You know, they're not the only ones who can form alliances," I said, obviously referring to the Careers.

For a moment there was no response. "You want me for an ally?" Rue asked disbelievingly.

"Why not? You saved me with those Tracker Jackers. You're smart enough to still be alive. And I can't seem to shake you anyway," I said, smiling at the memory of training. She smiled back at me but otherwise stayed silent. I noticed a long burn on Rue's forearm. She must have been the other person that I heard during the forest fire. "I've got something for that."

She smiled at me. "Thank you." I nodded at her and set aside my weapons. She watched as I pulled out the remainder of the burn cream and spread it over her arm. Immediately I could see that she sighed and leaned back. "You have good Sponsors," she said longingly.

"Have you gotten anything yet?" I asked.

"No," she said, shaking her head.

"You will, though. Watch. The closer we get to the end, the more people will realize how clever you are."

"You weren't joking, about wanting me for an ally?" she asked.

"No, I meant it," I said.

And it was the truth. Rue might not have been great with weapons or the strongest of the remaining Tributes, but she definitely was clever enough to keep herself alive up to this point. And that was an impressive enough feat. Usually the youngest of the Tributes would be dead by now. I could almost hear Haymitch groaning as I teamed up with this wispy child. But I wanted her. Because she was a survivor, and I trusted her. Why not admit it? She reminded me of Prim. I knew that Katniss would have liked her too. She was probably rooting for my team up with Rue over Cato.

"Okay," she said, and held out her hand. We shook on it. "It's a deal."

"Do you have any food?" I asked Rue suddenly.

With a sorry look she shook her head. My heart fell. No food and water would mean that we wouldn't last long. "Not much. All of the berries in the arena are getting sparse and Nightlock is mixed in with most of them. Not worth it," she said.

I nodded. At least she was smart enough not to fall for any of their tricks. I knew what the Gamemakers were trying to do. They were trying to starve out Rue, Finch, and Peeta. Then they were trying to drive the Careers, Thresh, and me together. It was a smart plan that would normally work, but I wasn't going to fall for it.

"And I have no idea how to hunt," she said, glancing at the bow that was slung over my back.

Smirking at her, I took the bow off of my back and slipped an arrow out of my quiver. I spun it in my hand and laughed as Rue followed it closely with her eyes. Prim had done that when Katniss, Gale, or I had twirled our weapons.

"Luckily for you, I do. And now that I have this hunting will be much easier," I said, making a point to look at the bow. "Want to learn how to hunt?"

"Sure," Rue said with a smile.

So we spent the day where I taught her everything that I could do. Thankfully she was a near-silent walker. Within a few minutes, I spotted a rabbit and made my first kill with the bow and arrow. It wasn't quite my usual clean shot through the eye. It was just a few inches lower, mostly through the throat. I would take it. Rue was fascinated by the shot and I took some time to bring her to a clearing and show her how to use the bow. She was actually pretty good with it. We didn't stay for long just in case there was a Tribute tracking us.

It didn't take us long to realize that we both could really use some time to clean off. And with another person we would be able to take turns and make sure that we weren't being sneaked up on. So after about an hour, I managed to find us a stream. It turned out that there were more water sources in the arena that I had originally thought. The stream was shallow but wide and more than sufficient for our needs. The sun was hot and severe. It was even warmer than it was during the first few days.

So while we waited for our water to purify we stripped down to our underclothes and waded into the mild current. We were both filthy from head to toe. We spent a while helping the other bathe themselves before eventually just laying down in the water for a few minutes, letting it wash off the soot and blood and dirt. After rinsing out our clothes and hanging them on bushes to dry, we sat on the bank in the sun for a bit, helping each other untangle our hair with our fingers. Rue reminded me so much of Prim as we spoke.

With a handful of moss, I polished the blood from my new weapons. Rue turned me around and redid the braid in my hair. I treated my burns again and we redressed in the damp clothes. The sun would dry them soon enough. Following the stream against its current seemed the smartest course of action. We were traveling uphill now, which I preferred, with a source of fresh water not only for us but possible game. I easily took out a strange bird that must have been some form of a wild turkey. Rue was having a wonderful time just watching me work.

By late afternoon, we decided to build a small fire to cook the meat. We were both betting that dusk would help conceal the smoke and I would be able to quench the fire by nightfall. I cleaned the game - letting Rue help out by collecting her own supplies - taking extra care with the bird. Mostly because I didn't know what it was. Once the feathers were plucked, it was no bigger than a chicken but it was plump and firm.

Rue contributed a big handful of some sort of starchy root to the meal. Roasted over the fire, they had the sharp sweet taste of a parsnip. It was good enough for me. It was the most that I'd eaten since coming into the arena. Rue recognized the bird. It was some wild thing they called a groosling in her District. She said sometimes a flock would wander into the orchard and they would get a decent lunch that day. For a while, all conversation stopped as we filled our stomachs. The groosling was a delicious meal that was so fatty, the grease dripped down our faces when we bit into it.

Rue was obviously starving. "I'd have thought, in District 11, you'd have a bit more to eat than us. You know, since you grow the food," I said.

Rue's eyes widened. "Oh, no, we're not allowed to eat the crops," she said.

"They arrest you or something?"

"They whip you and make everyone else watch. The mayor's very strict about it."

I could tell by her expression that it wasn't that uncommon of an occurrence. A public whipping was a rare thing in District 12, although occasional one occurred. Like the one I'd stopped. Technically Gale, Katniss, and I could be whipped on a daily basis for poaching in the woods. Actually we could get a whole lot worse. But all the officials bought our meat. Besides our mayor didn't seem to have much taste for such events. Maybe being the least prestigious, poorest, most ridiculed District in the country had its advantages. Such as being largely ignored by the Capitol as long as we produced our coal quotas.

"Do you get all the coal you want?" Rue asked.

"No. Just what we buy and whatever we track in on our boots."

"They feed us a bit extra during harvest, so that people can keep going longer."

"Don't you have to be in school?"

"Not during harvest. Everyone works then."

We chatted for most of the night back and forth about our respective homes. It was interesting, hearing about her life. We had so little communication with anyone outside our District. In fact, I wondered if the Gamemakers were blocking out our conversation, because even though the information seemed harmless, they didn't want people in different Districts to know about one another. There was even a chance that the Gamemakers might have feigned microphone problems when Cato and I had briefly talked about our homes.

At Rue's suggestion, we laid out all our food to plan ahead. She had seen most of mine, but I added the last couple of pieces of dried fruit to the pile. By now I had been relying mostly on whatever I could catch around the arena. She had gathered quite a collection of roots, nuts, greens, and even some berries. I rolled an unfamiliar berry in my fingers.

"You sure this is safe?" I asked her.

"Oh, yes, we have them back home. I've been eating them for days," she said, popping a handful in her mouth.

I tentatively bit into one and it ended up being as good as our blackberries. Taking Rue on as an ally seemed to be a better choice all the time. Haymitch just might have been eating his words at however furious he had been with me this morning. We divided up our food supplies, so in case we were separated, we would both be set for a few days. Apart from the food, Rue had a small water skin, a homemade slingshot, and an extra pair of socks. She also had a sharp shard of rock that she used as a knife.

"I know it's not much," she said as if embarrassed, "but I had to get away from the Cornucopia fast."

"You did just right," I said.

We went back to talking about our Districts afterwards. She told me a story about a simpleminded little boy that had been shot in the head because he'd taken something to use as a toy. Hearing that made me feel like District 12 was some sort of safe haven. Of course, people keeled over from starvation all the time, but I couldn't imagine the Peacekeepers murdering a simpleminded child. There was a little girl, one of Greasy Sae's grandchildren, who wandered around the Hob. She wasn't quite right, but she was treated as a sort of pet. People tossed her scraps and things.

For a while I had debated on pretending to be simpleminded to get people to throw me scraps when we were starving. But everyone knew me by that point and the lie would have definitely gotten me whipped. As the night progressed I gave Rue some matches and she made sure that I had plenty of leaves in case my stings flared up again. We extinguished our fire and headed upstream until it was almost nightfall.

"Where do you sleep In the trees?" I asked her.

"Yes."

"In just your jacket?"

Rue held up her extra pair of socks. "I have these for my hands," she said.

I thought of how cold the nights had been. "You can share my sleeping bag if you want. We'll both easily fit," I offered.

Her face lit up. I could tell that it was more than she dared hope for. We picked a fork high in a tree and settled in for the night just as the anthem began to play. There were no deaths today. Obviously the Gamemakers were interested enough in our new alliance to keep from attacking us. Sometimes it happened. When a new alliance was formed the Gamemakers would leave the Tributes alone for a few days to watch the new alliance become closer. Hopefully it would give Rue and I a few days to figure out what to do.

In the meantime Rue had decided to trust me wholeheartedly. I knew because as soon as the anthem finished she snuggled up against me and fell asleep. I didn't have any misgivings about her either so I took no particular precautions. If she had wanted me dead all she would have had to do was disappear from that tree without pointing out the Tracker Jacker nest. Needling at the very back of my mind was the obvious. We couldn't both win the Games. But since the odds were still against either of us surviving I managed to ignore the thought.

Besides I was distracted by a new thought. One to end the Games faster. Starve out the Careers. Somehow Rue and I could find a way to destroy their food. I was pretty sure that feeding themselves would be a tremendous struggle. Traditionally the Career tributes' strategy was to get hold of all the food early on and work from there. The years when they hadn't protected it well - one year a pack of hideous reptiles destroyed it and another a Gamemakers' flood washed it away - those were usually the years that Tributes from other Districts have won.

The Careers having been better fed growing up was actually to their disadvantage. They didn't know how to be hungry. Not the way Rue and I did. But I was too exhausted to begin any detailed plan tonight. My mind was still a bit foggy from the venom, and the warmth of Rue at my side, her head cradled on my shoulder, had given me a sense of security. I realized for the first time how lonely I'd been in the arena. Cato's visits had been sporadic and short. Rue's continued presence was comforting. I gave in to my drowsiness determined to change the Games tomorrow. The Careers would have to watch their backs.

When the morning dawned I found myself glad to see that Rue and I managed to sleep on the branch just fine. The two of us hopped out of the tree and got to work almost immediately. We collected some of Rue's berries and ate them for a smaller breakfast and I promised her that I would go out soon to hunt, making a mention that it was definitely easier to hunt now. Bow and arrows were always easier to work with. She glanced up at me with a confused face and I held a knife out to her.

"It's possible to hunt with a knife but a bow and arrow is so much easier," I said.

"That makes sense. How'd you learn?"

"My best friend's father taught me before he died. I've always loved hunting. So I can move a little faster I'll go alone. That okay?" I asked her.

Rue hesitated for a moment. "Sure," she said, smiling.

"You wait here and hide up in the tree. Keep this," I said, handing her over a real knife.

She probably wouldn't use it but it made me feel better with her having it. And it was much more effective than the little sharpened rock that she was using right now. She took it and I slipped the pack off of my shoulders too, giving it to her. It slowed me down and if I got in a fight it would make the running or fighting back much easier. Fight, Gale's voice called. He was right. It was time to end this.

"I'll be back in about an hour, hopefully with food," I said, pulling her into a hug.

As she pulled away from me she grabbed my hands and looked up to me with her big, brown doe eyes. She was so much like Prim the two could be sisters. "Be careful," she said.

"You too," I said.

I waited as she climbed into the tree and settled in before nodding at her. She waved me a small goodbye and I waved back once before turning and beginning my walk. There wasn't really anywhere that I was heading in particular. I was just searching for anywhere that might have any animal life. Well spare the gigantic wolf mutts. There would be somewhere that I could find animals. I just had to look. I went into the slow hunters march that Katniss and I were so used to as I looked around, tightening my grip on the bow. My feet carried me through the woods and I dipped my head back.

The weather in the arena was actually nice today and I wondered if it was a case of the calm before the storm. The Capitol rarely went to Games past two weeks. The last Games that I could remember hearing about that were that long were the Fiftieth Games. Haymitch had won those. But there had been twice the amount of Tributes and the arena had been larger. This was a relatively simple arena design. The problem was that there were so many little places for Tributes to hide and they weren't setting mutts on the Tributes. Except for me, of course.

Shaking my head at the memory of the mutt I realized that my arms had gone up in goosebumps. That was going to be a nightmare for the rest of my life if I won. The damn thing had nearly killed me and I was sure that it had broken one of my ribs. Every time that I stretched too far or took too deep of a breath it hurt. I guessed that it could have punctured a lung and I was pretty sure that my lungs were intact. I would have died by now if that had happened to me. My lungs would have filled with blood and that would have been the end of me. I guessed that I had gotten off rather luckily from the mutt.

The hiss of a camera sounded to my right and I looked up. The thing was focusing on me and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. I could only imagine what the people of the Capitol thought about me right now. Did they want Cato and I to make up or did they want to see how the tragedy would play out? I knew that people wanted me to be with him but it was the Games. That wasn't a possibility. Was it? No. There was one winner and that was it. They wouldn't make an exception, not even for the two favorite Tributes. Although President Snow had made it clear that he wanted me to be with Cato. What did he mean?

At the moment I didn't even know what to think about Cato. I was sick of trying to deny it. I had come to terms with my feelings. I loved him. And I had thought that he loved me. But he had basically told me that everything he had said was a lie and he was just playing me. How did I know that it wasn't a lie? Maybe he really did feel something for me and he was just trying to separate himself from me. This was the only thing that he had ever known and he was right. I had ruined it. Shaking my head I looked up and realized that there was huge opening in front of me. Without meaning to I had walked to the Cornucopia.

Ducking into the bushes I glanced ahead of me and looked over the broken camp of the Careers. I was squatting on the far side of the metal structure and couldn't see much. There was a huge pile of supplies on it and I shook my head. They had food to last themselves months and the rest of us were starving, living off of whatever we could find. It just went to show how much more the Careers were preferred than the rest of the Tributes. Taking in the camp I noticed that the camp seemed much emptier with the loss of Peeta and Glimmer. And I was to thank for both of their absences. At least Peeta was still alive.

Besides the fact that the camp seemed so much emptier than the last time that I had seen them the air also seemed much tenser. The Tributes were all sitting around, looking like they were about to explode. It wasn't going to be long now before the Careers would fall apart. It would bound to happen at some point and with only nine left they made up the mass of us. Only nine left. When the next person died they would start doing interviews with the friends and families of the remaining Tributes. What would my family say? What would they even ask them? A lot about Cato, probably.

Clove was walking around the Cornucopia with her knife in hand, sharpening it while muttering under her breath. Ethan was leaning up against the Cornucopia and was holding a spear that he looked incredibly awkward with. Cato was on the ground facing away from me and his head was in his hand. I wondered if he actually felt bad for what he had done. Probably not. He was just irritated. That I didn't blame him for. They all still had the lumps of the Tracker Jackers on them. The medicine that they had wasn't working and they didn't know Rue's leaf trick.

Unlike the rest of the Careers, Marvel was nowhere to be seen. He was more than likely out on a hunt or just somewhere that I couldn't see him. I shook my head and decided to move past them. They weren't exactly saying anything important right now so there was no point in me staying. Besides I had promised Rue that I would be back in an hour and I was getting close to that deadline. And I still had no game to come back with. I backed off from the Career camp and froze when I stepped on a branch. The heads of all of the Careers snapped back and I felt my heart leap into my throat.

Without staying to see if they were going to follow the sound or not I took of through the woods, sprinting faster than I ever had. They weren't as fast as me. I knew that I could get away from them. My legs pumped and I spotted an opening in the trees that I could run to. Right when I turned past the tree to get to the spot I ran head first into a heavy object. I hit the ground with my head spinning and groaned at the rush of pain through me. The groan a few feet from me alerted me to a Tribute and I gathered myself quickly. I grabbed my bow and arrow and stood up quickly, aiming at the mystery Tribute.

Right before I fired my arrow though I caught a flash of red hair and I lowered my arrow. Finch was standing right in front of me, weaponless and without a pack. Her eyes were wide with fear and I knew that she was about to bolt. For some reason I didn't want her to fear me so I help my hands up in surrender and sheathed my arrow. She wasn't my enemy. I had nothing against her and I knew that she wouldn't fight me. Even if she didn't die now I knew that she wouldn't pose a problem to kill later.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," I told her. She was was still staring at me in fear. She stared at me and I forced myself to breathe slowly. "Calm down, I won't hurt you. I'm -"

"Aspen Antaeus," she said, stunning me into silence.

I hadn't even known that Finch had known my name. We had never spoken before so she had no reason to know it. And as far as I knew she didn't have me on her kill list. Her voice was higher pitched than I had expected it to be. Besides to Caesar for her Interview, I had never heard Finch speak. And even then I had been tuned out, thinking about Cato's.

"I know who you are. We all know who you are," she said.

She laughed lightly and I nodded at her. It wasn't exactly surprising that she had known my name. I mean I was the first District 12 volunteer, I had caught the attention of the most dangerous Tribute and the Head Gamemaker, along with the President himself, and I had gotten a perfect score in training. I had made quite the wave while I was here. I suppose I was more shocked that she was talking to me and that she hadn't run away from me yet.

"Yeah I suppose you do," I said. "You're Finch."

Her blue eyes roamed me up and down inquisitively. "Yes. You're looking much better," she said.

"When did you last see me?" I asked curiously.

"I was close when you were trapped in the tree with the Careers. Saw you drop the Tracker Jacker nest and everything. You're lucky you made it as long as you did without passing out," she said.

"Oh," I muttered.

The Careers were there, I was there, Rue was there, and apparently Finch was also there. It seemed like the only people that hadn't been there were the District 7 female, Ethan, and Thresh. And the first of them was now dead. And I was sure that Ethan had heard about it. Thresh probably wouldn't have cared. Part of me hoped that he was doing okay. I hadn't seen him since the Bloodbath. No cannon for him though so he must have been okay. She had more than likely seen the aftermath of the attack. I leaned against a tree.

"I wish I would have passed out earlier," I said softly.

She tilted her head to the side and stared curiously. "And why's that?" she finally asked.

She knew what I was talking about. She just wanted me to say it out loud. She was smart and that was dangerous. "Something tells me that you know," I said, waiting to see where she would go with it.

Instead of throwing it back to me like I had thought she would, she gave me a look of something along the lines of empathy. "Aspen, I know you saw me when we were all in the training center," she said.

It wasn't a question. "Of course. I watched everyone," I said.

I was shocked that she had dropped the previous conversation so fast. She had to be going somewhere with this. She wasn't the type to just give up. She would go at it from a different angle. "I know plants and animals and everything like that the best. It's why I only got a five in training. It's all that I know," she said.

I shook my head slightly. She was so smart and had deserved more than a five in training. It had lost her many Sponsors who could have been providing her food this entire time. "You've made it so far and you haven't killed anyone. You can track all of the Tributes and you are the one person that learned how to get through the Careers trap. I think you deserved much better than a five," I told her honestly.

If I was going to die here I wanted someone to look back and realize that I wasn't that bad. For the first time I saw a genuine smile that crossed her face. "Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome."

"Me too. I know about Tracker Jackers. Probably more than you do."

"I'm sure you do."

"You know that they give you severe hallucinations and in extreme cases the wounds can kill you, right?"

That was pretty common knowledge. Unfortunately the insects were everywhere but that did mean that most people knew what they were. "Of course," I said.

"There's something else that the Capitol did to them once they were inserted in the Games a few years back. They added something to the venom. It's a serum that affects certain people in a different way. It brings out the anger in them. They say and do things that they don't mean. It normally happens with bigger people," she said.

My head was already spinning and this time it wasn't from the venom. Since the girl was so smart I didn't want to say something and look stupid, but I wasn't really following what she was saying. Basically she was telling me that the Tracker Jackers in the Games have something in their venom that makes someone angry when they get stung. And it normally affected bigger people. Cato. That was why she had let the previous conversation drop.

"You're trying to tell me that Cato only said the things that he did the other day because of the Tracker Jacker venom?" I asked her stupidly.

"Yes."

"You heard what he said, Finch. He meant every last word and he's right. Everything that he's ever done and told me was a lie. He never felt anything for me."

I probably deserved everything that he said to me for being so foolish to fall for him in the first place. There was a small flash of emotion in her eyes that I swore was anger. "That's a lie and you know it," she said harshly.

My eyebrows raised. "No, I don't," I said.

"He loves you. I've never seen one person fight their feelings for someone as hard as he fights his feelings for you. That boy loves you so much. And he's determined that he has to kill you but we both know that he can't do it."

Cato was at least a foot taller and had at least eighty pounds on me. How could one little sting affect him in such a severe way? "You said that the Tracker Jacker venom affects some people with anger but he was only stung once. That much anger for one little sting?" I challenged.

She shook her head, her red braids flipping against her face. He had only been stung once that I had seen. "He was stung five times, Aspen," she said.

My brows shot up. "How do you know that?" I asked.

"Once I was sure that you were safe I followed the Careers back to the Cornucopia. They were all helping each other heal the stings when I got there. Cato took off his jacket and shirt and I saw it. He had one on his hip and four more were on his back. That's the perfect amount to bring out the anger," she said.

Elation soared through my heart but I kept my face steady. The Capitol people would be entranced with our conversation right now. They didn't want the blood. They wanted us. But I couldn't let them see it. Was it true what she was telling me? Could Cato have really only said those things because of the Tracker Jackers? If so, then it meant that he really did have feelings for me and he couldn't kill me. She might have been right. Maybe that was why he looked the way that he did when I was over at the Cornucopia a few minutes ago. But one thing was still bothering me.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

She shrugged and walked around me. She was taller than I had originally pegged her for. "Because I saw your Reaping," Finch said.

"I don't understand."

"You volunteered for someone that you weren't even related to. You saved that girl and her sister. People like you don't deserve a life like that. You deserve to be happy. It shouldn't be ruined because a stupid guy said things that he didn't mean. This is hard for him," she said.

My eyes hardened and I shook my head. "It's hard for all of us," I shot back.

I understood that this was his do or die thing but we were all having a hard time out here. Especially those of us that didn't want to be here. For a moment she was floored by what I had said. "Think about it from his point of view," she said.

"I'm not sure I want to do that. His mind seems like a dangerous place," I said.

Her lips quirked. "He was raised and trained for this moment. This is all that he knows how to do. This is his entire life. He thought that he would get here and win. Easy. Then along came you," she said.

It was probably rude of me to do but I let out a loud snort. Cato had told me that exact thing. More than once. Maybe she was a nicer, female version of him. "You sound just like him," I said, with a soft smile.

The more that I talked to Finch the more that I found that I had wished that I had gotten to know her better. She seemed like a good person. She deserved more than this. We all deserved more than this, but it was the hand that we'd been dealt. And we would play. Her face broke into a smirk and I found that it looked good on her. She probably knew that. She seemed like the type with more self-confidence that was probably healthy. But I supposed that was better than hating yourself.

"My parents always told me that I was born with the gift of being able to look at things from every point of view. It's probably the reason that I'm still alive," she said.

"I suppose."

"Look, Aspen, I know that I won't win this thing," she said.

My jaw nearly dropped. There went her Sponsors. I had thought the same thing myself but I'd never said it out loud. I didn't want to risk losing the Sponsors I still had. I held up a hand to stop her and I shook my head. Finch had as much chance as any of us to win. She had made it this far. Clearly she was doing something right. She could just starve the last person out or poison them while they slept. But the Capitol wasn't that patient. She didn't need to be thinking that way. And she shouldn't say it where her family had heard her.

"Don't say that. You've made it farther than anyone expected of you," I told her quickly.

She shrugged her shoulders at me. "That's true. But we both know that when the Death Match comes around I won't win. Everyone left will be a fighter and I don't even have a weapon," she said.

For a moment I felt bad. I had throwing knives, a bow and arrow, and a sword. Finch had nothing. "You could always steal one," I suggested.

"There's no use in it. I want you to win," she said.

My head shot up to her. Forcing a smile onto my face I nodded at her. That was sweet of her to say and it was brave to admit that she knew she wasn't going to win this thing. I was constantly fighting with myself and telling myself that I could win. She had resigned herself to death. But at least she was being noble about it.

"Thank you, Finch," I told her honestly. "But you deserve a chance to win this thing too. You have as much to go back to as I do. Probably more so."

She had an entire family that were still alive to watch her fight for her life. "Why do you say that?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Come on, you know why. Look at everything that I've done since I've been here. The one person that I knew I couldn't afford to get close too is now the one person that I can't kill. My friends must hate me," I said sadly, hoping that back home they were yelling at the television and telling me that I was wrong.

"That's shit," she snapped.

I had been spinning my knife but she had startled me so much that I dropped my knife. Leaning down, I picked up my knife and sheathed it. "How?" I asked.

"If they're your friends then they won't care who you decided to spend your time with. I saw your Reaping so many times. I saw how much your friends love you. The way that they all looked at you and how emotional you got everyone. If they hate you because of something you feel in your heart then they aren't your friends," she said. I found myself nodding. She was right. Katniss, Gale and me all had some pretty marvelous fights. There were times when we didn't agree on anything and we did things that the others hated. But at the end of the day we still loved each other. "But that's just my opinion."

For a few minutes the two of us stood together in silence. For some reason that fact that Finch knew everything about my family and I knew nothing about her own. She had said nothing about them in her interview that I remembered and I hadn't seen her family interviews before the Games.

"What about you?" I asked. She cocked her head to the side, unclear on what I was talking about. "Anyone waiting at home for you?"

A wistful smile crossed her face. She did have a family. It made the whole conversation even more heartbreaking. She had told them that she wasn't planning on fighting. "A few people. My mother and father. An older brother too. And I have a boyfriend back home. His name is Sparrow," she said.

His name was pretty. A birds name just like hers. Just like Katniss, Primrose, and Aspen were all for flowers and plants back in District 12. The whole thing sounded sweet but it was painful knowing that he had seen her for the last time during her Reaping. I liked Finch but if somehow it came down to her and me at the end, I was going to win this thing. But for now we could just be two girls having a conversation.

"How long have you guys been together?" I asked.

She seemed to think about it for a moment before looking back up at me with a sad grin. "About a year," she said.

I swallowed heavily. She must love him and vice versa. "I hope you get back to him," I told her honestly.

The sad smile fell off of her face and she sobered. "I won't," she said.

"Finch..."

She smiled and shook her head at me. "Don't look so sad. We already made peace with each other. I told him that I wanted him to have a happy life and he told me that I would always have a piece of his heart. Told me that he'd watch until the end," she said, not really to me, but to the camera behind me.

My knees began to buckle. It had been part of my plan to not imagine the families that other kids were trying to get back to. It only made it harder. But now I knew that I wasn't the only one fighting to get back to someone. "That's heartbreaking," I said.

She smiled at me like she had accepted her fate. "Not really. I'll see him again one day. Until that day I want him to be happy. No sense in being sad over the inevitable," she said.

"That's very brave."

"Thank you. I want you to win this thing. And I hope that you can win it with Cato," she said.

I scoffed at her. That would be the ideal situation but we had the rules. A fight to the death until a lone Victor remains. "That's a nice sentiment, Finch, but it would never happen," I said, with a sigh.

The younger girl moved closer to me and I felt myself tense at what she was doing. Instead of making a move to hurt me, she pulled me into a hug. I wasn't really sure why she was hugging me but if it made her feel better than it was fine. But she moved her mouth close to my ear and I relaxed my body. She was going to tell me something that clearly wasn't meant for the ears of everyone in Panem. I wondered what it could possibly be when she leaned completely into me and her voice was so low that I could barely hear her.

"A little birdie told me that the Capitol were so in love with the idea of a love story between two Tributes that they were willing to let two people live. They would make an announcement about it and it will be soon," she whispered.

My eyes widened and I stared at the tree behind us in shock. Was she lying to me? How would she have known that? The only people that might have been able to tell her were any of the Gamemakers, the President, or maybe a Mentor. Had someone told her that so she could relay it to me?

"How do you know that?" I whispered into her ear and I felt her laugh.

The Capitol must have been in a tizzy right now, trying to decipher what we were saying. But we were both being cautious about how quietly we were speaking and keeping our mouths out of the cameras direct view. We could both be killed for what we were speaking about. She turned her head back to my ear and I held my breath.

"Like I said, a little birdie told me. Sending Tributes notes about the outside world is illegal but sometimes the rules have to be bent," she said, before releasing me. I stared at her like she had just stabbed me, still curious how she had known about that. Someone had told her this... but who? Would Haymitch risk it? Or maybe Finnick? He had said that he lived off of secrets. "Now go find Cato. Maybe wait until some of the other Careers die off but go find him. Be happy with him."

Would I? I wasn't sure. For her peace of mind I would tell her that I would. Maybe I would do it one day soon. I loved him but I wasn't sure if I was quite ready to forgive him or listen to anything that he had to say. "Not yet, but I will. Thank you, Finch," I said.

"You're welcome."

She started to walk away from me but something forced me to stop her. I couldn't just watch her leave completely unarmed. "Wait!" I yelled. She turned back around. I unhooked the sword from my belt and handed it out to her. "Take this."

She stared at the weapon for a moment before shaking her head and pushing it away. I tried to push it back to her. "I told you I'm not good with weapons," she said.

Pushing the sword back over to her she stared at me and I sighed, pleading at her with my eyes. "Please take it. If nothing else just to make me feel better. I don't need it. As you can see I have enough stuff that I really won't be hurt with one less. You never know, it might just save your life. You deserve as fair of a shot at this as the rest of us," I told her honestly.

It would likely lose me a number of Sponsors but I wasn't really sure that I cared anymore. With the bow and arrows the only thing that I would potentially need that I couldn't get was medicine. I wanted to win but I really didn't want to kill an unarmed and uninjured girl. It seemed wrong to me. She stared at me sidelong before she finally grabbed the blade and I let out a puff of air. I was extremely grateful that she had taken it. If nothing else than for my peace of mind.

"Why keep it this long if you don't need it?" she asked, hooking it around her waist.

I helped her cinch the belt that went with it and she thanked me. I felt so much lighter without it and I knew that it would be easier to move now. She pulled the blade from the sheath and I took a step back. I doubted that she would try anything but it didn't hurt to be cautious. She slipped the sword back into the scabbard and turned to me. I could tell that she wanted an explanation to why I had kept the sword for so long and I sighed. It was only fair to tell her.

"Sentiment, I suppose. The thing saved me from a wolf mutt that nearly killed me early in the Games. I guess I held onto it because it saved my life. It felt wrong to just leave it somewhere. Plus I didn't want a dangerous Tribute to find it. But I know now that it's in good hands," I said.

Once more she smiled at me and I nodded to her. Part of me wished that we had met under better circumstances. I liked Finch and I felt like if we had met back home then we would have been good friends. She was clever beyond words and seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. She would probably have been good hunting with Katniss and me.

"You deserved so much better than this. Good luck, Aspen. And remember what I said," she said.

"Good luck, Finch."

Without another word she turned from me and darted back through the woods, disappearing from sight quickly. Sighing softly I pulled out my arrow and turned back to where I had left Rue. Hopefully I would manage to find something on my way back. I was sure that I had been gone for way over an hour and there was still no animal in my hands. Hopefully she hadn't thought that I had abandoned her. I really didn't want her to think that I had. Slowly I made my way back to Rue and felt my stomach growl with the anticipation of food.

It was definitely time for me to eat something else. The grease was good from the groosling but I was now thirsty and hungry. I rolled my eyes and blew out a puff of air, blowing a few loose strands of hair out of my face. I was starving and it really bothered me that the Careers were on their happy asses, munching on food and enjoying the company of others. At this rate those who remained not in the Career alliance would die first and then they would turn on each other.

There had to be something that I could do to force them to fight each other. Something to entertain the people of the Capitol until I could figure out how to eliminate the remaining Tributes. If I could destroy the food and supplies then they would fight over whose fault it is. They would starve and kill each other to keep the supplies that remained all to themselves. The only question that remained was how was I going to get close enough to destroy the supplies when they were always guarded.

If somehow I managed to make it work than it would be certain that Cato would be the one remaining Careers. I could go to him and we could fight the rest of the Tributes together. If what Finch had said was true, we would win together and neither of us would have to live with the knowledge that we had killed the other. It was a happily ever after. Sort of. But what about everything that he had said? Finch had made a good point that he was under the influence of the Tracker Jacker venom but it still hurt. He had told me something that would be almost impossible for me to forget.

But I still loved him and I still wanted there to be a chance for the two of us to be together. And Cato had looked so sad at the Cornucopia today, worse than he ever had. I could only imagine what everyone was thinking back at home right now. Prim was probably worrying for my health and thinking that this was all her fault. I would have to kick her of that habit. Katniss would probably be coming back from a hunt with Gale today and I was sure that the two were wondering if I was awake yet. They were sure in for it when they got back home.

Katniss was probably worried sick and pulling her hair out at every little thing that I did. It was the type of person that she was. Gale must have been torn. He was probably thrilled that Cato had decided to leave me alone, but he protected me like no other. He was probably fuming over the fact that a guy that I loved had said and done such things to me. If Cato lived through this Gale would kill him. There was the ruffle of leaves and I turned quickly, spotting a squirrel that darted out in front of my path. Pulling the arrow back, I fired at the little animal and watched as it struck the squirrel through the head.

The thing fell and I grinned at myself. Walking up to it, I ripped the arrow out and set it onto the ground. I grabbed the squirrel by the tail and tied it to my belt before picking the arrow back up and setting it back against the bow. I stood and smirked, knowing that Katniss would be proud. Part of me knew that it had been cruel for Glimmer to die the way that she had but I was a much better owner to the bow than she ever was. At least I knew how to use it. I walked through a few more trees and made it back to the fallen log that I had been under this morning. I turned around and glanced up to where I had left Rue.

"Hey, Rue, come on down," I whispered up to the tree. There was a flash of her black hair. "It's just me and I got a squirrel."

She bent around the tree and smiled before quickly making her way down the trunk. She landed on the ground and I led her over to a small area that I could make a fire pit. Walking over to the small ground out area, I plopped the squirrel on the ground and went to gathering leaves. Rue helped me gather the dry leaves and stack them together. I gathered twigs and other dry pine leaves before pushing Rue back and twisting two twigs against each other. I rubbed them together until a spark finally went up and the fire started. Rue went to tending to the fire as I grabbed my sawing knife and the squirrel carcass.

"You were gone a long time," Rue said.

I glanced up to the younger girl as I drained the squirrel of its blood. "Took me a while to get something," I said.

"What happened to the sword?" she asked, her eyes dropping to my hip.

Trying to hold the squirrel out of her sight I skinned the animal easily before I pulled the inedible organs from the body and tossing them to the side. Rue looked like she might hurl and I gave her an apologetic glance. It was nasty business but it was food. It was the one thing to do without Sponsors. I held a stick over the fire and pierced the meat with it. I handed it over to her and did the same with mine. As we cooked the food I glanced over at the younger girl.

"I met up with Finch, the girl from District 5. Gave it to her because she had nothing else. She won't ever use it but at least she has something to feel safe with," I explained.

"That was nice of you," she said.

It had more been so that I could get rid of the thing with the knowledge that it was going to someone who wouldn't use it against me. But it had also been because I felt that Finch should have as fair as a shot as the rest of us. With only nine left she had earned her spot here fair and square. Nodding to her lightly I twisted the meat in my hands faster so that I wouldn't burn it. Rue copied my movements and I smiled. She was so much like Prim that it was almost comical.

"Thanks," I said.

Letting her start eating I pulled my leg back off of the fire and stood to stamp it out. Once I had sat back down I saw that Rue was already half finished with her leg. The poor girl must have been starving. She probably hadn't had any meat since this thing had started. Only the groosling and rabbit that I had given her yesterday. I took a few bites out of my leg and I saw that Rue would look over to me every few seconds. She wanted the food but she wouldn't say anything.

"You want mine too?" I asked, holding it out to her.

Her eyes shot down to the meat and she stared at it hungrily. It was an internal battle with herself. I used to be the same way when Gale offered me food. "No, that's okay," she answered quietly.

She was fighting to breathe through her mouth so that she couldn't smell the food. My heart broke for her. "Here," I said, handing the remaining part of my squirrel leg out.

For a moment she just stared at it and I waited for her to take the meat from my hands. I waved it around a few times and she finally grabbed it with a smile. "Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome."

I watched as she tore the meat off of the bones and stripped it to nothing within moments. I laughed at the younger girl and she blushed lightly as she dropped the bone. I patted her on the back and kicked the bones and fire remnants around the camp site. It looked like someone had been here so we would have to move on tonight in case a Tribute passed over here.

"So what did you do while I was out? After the Tracker Jackers and just now," I asked, genuinely curious.

She shrugged her shoulders and picked at the dirt that was piled up under her nails. "I change your leaves twice while you were out. Not much right now. I was just up in the trees. I looked around but there weren't any Tributes around that I could see," she said.

That was a good thing. It meant that if there was a fight today there would be a good chance that we wouldn't be anywhere near it. "Thank you for the leaves," I said.

"You're welcome."

"Everyone is so spread out now with only nine of us left. The only ones that are really still together are the Careers. And us, of course," I said. She smiled. For a moment Peeta's face crossed through my mind and I sighed. I had to know what had happened to him. He was still my friend, even after everything that we had been through. "And the uh... And the boy from my District? What happened with him?"

She smiled and shook her head as she placed the tip of her nail in her mouth and began to chew on it, just like Prim did when she was in deep thought. "No, he's okay," she said.

I breathed out deeply. "Okay," I muttered.

"I think he's down by the river. He looked a little injured but I'm pretty sure that he got a Sponsor package."

My eyes brightened. Cato had told me that Peeta's time was almost up. He had probably injured my District partner and Peeta had gotten a Sponsor to heal whatever Cato had done to him. "That's good for him," I muttered.

"Is it all true?" Rue asked.

"What?" I asked.

She smirked at me. Coming to sit down by her she nudged me and I stared at her in disbelief. This thing made everyone so serious and grown up that it was astonishing to see a Tribute that could be so happy here. Rue really was the sweetest breath of fresh air to the Games. People loved her and that was probably why the Capitol hadn't set a mutt on her yet.

"You and Cato," she said, with a curious smirk.

Laughing at the fact that the girl seemed so much older than she really was, she smiled at me. I shrugged my shoulders and looked at the ground with a sigh. "I'm not really sure. At first I thought that he was a total asshole," I said, clasping a hand over my mouth. I tried not to talk like that in front of Prim so I shouldn't do it in front of Rue. "Sorry, I shouldn't say stuff like that around you."

"You sound like my Dad," she said.

A wide smile fell over my face. I pulled her into me and she smiled. "Then your dad is smart," I said.

We both laughed loudly for a while. It felt so good to laugh the way that we were. Especially after everything that had happened these past two weeks. Just to laugh was enough to rejuvenate me. We eventually silenced ourselves and I sighed.

"I came in here thinking that I was going to kill him. My parents both competed in the Games and they were killed by the District 2 male in the exact same way. Stabbed through the heart. My dad died on the day that I was born, my mom just over two years later," I said.

She patted me on the back. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It's okay. This was a revenge thing once I knew that I was coming here," I said.

"But you can't do it," she said.

Sighing deeply I shrugged my shoulders. She was so smart and deserved so much more than this. "What can I say? I tend to have bad timing about these things. It started with him just annoying me. But then he actually opened up to me. The night before the Games he found me on the roof. We talked like we were the oldest of friends. Even here in the Games he actually proved that he cared. He saved me multiple times and I saved him. But then came the other day," I said, my happy voice fading with the most recent memory of him.

She shrugged at me and I raised my eyebrows. "He's a District 2 Tribute. What can you expect?" she asked.

I gave her an odd look. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"He's afraid of falling in love. They aren't taught to love, they're taught to fight. This is new to him and he's scared. This is scary. All of it," she said.

Had I not known Rue I would have thought that she was from District 3. She seemed smart enough to fit in with them. "You're way too smart to be twelve," I said.

Grabbing her shoulders, I pulled her into me. She giggled under my arm. Once I let go of the girl she flipped her fluffy hair over shoulders and I smiled at the proud look on her face. I was pretty sure that all of her siblings were younger than her and I wondered if she thought of me like a big sister. Just like I thought of her as a little sister.

"What can I say? I'm a genius. How do you think I earned a seven in training?" she asked. I laughed loudly. She really was a little comic. "How did you earn a twelve?"

My smile fell off of my face and I stared into the distance for a moment. Should I tell her what had happened? It wasn't really like the Capitol could make things even worse for me so I might as well tell her. Besides I was sure back home all of my friends would get a kick out of the story. Maybe Cato's family would even think that it was funny.

"I shot an arrow and threw knives at the Gamemakers," I said with a soft voice.

If there was any chance that the Gamemakers hadn't blocked out my answer I was sure that Katniss and Gale were howling with laughter. It had been rather funny. We both stared at each other for a moment before laughing loudly and leaning against each other. She laid on my shoulder and held her stomach while she laughed loudly, gasping for breath. I giggled with her too and smiled down at her. She finally sobered but there was still a huge smile on her face.

"Did you really?" she asked.

Rue laughed and laid her head in my shoulder. I had never wanted children but if they could all be like Rue and Prim, then maybe I could be open to the idea. "Yeah. Somehow I got a twelve," I said. She giggled lightly. "You know, you remind me a lot of Prim."

She looked up at me and I released her so that she could look up to my face. "The girl that you volunteered for," she said.

"Yes."

"I wish I had someone like you. Just like she did," she said sadly.

I felt my heart break in two. Grabbing her by the chin, I forced her to look at me and I wiped the tears in her eyes away from her face. She was not going to feel this sadness anymore. It wasn't fair to her. She nodded at me and I sighed. We sat in silence as I made my final decision. Screw love. I was going to kill Cato. I would protect Rue until the end of these Games and I would kill everyone else if I had to. When it was just Rue and me left I would take my own life and force her to look away. She would get to go home and I would be able to redeem myself to everyone. Prim would know that my death was my own choice.

"Hey, I'm here now," I said, with a small squeeze.

"Thank you."

The pile of Career supplies crossed my mind and I smirked. "You know, the Careers still have that pile of their supplies at the Cornucopia, right?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

She nodded at me and I smirked again. I knew my plan. "Yes," Rue said.

"And they have Ethan because he knew how to reactivate the mines. Finch knows how to get around them to steal from them without them noticing. But what happens when you step on one?" I asked.

She stared at me like I had lost my mind. With the huge grin on my face it probably looked like I had. "It blows up?" she asked slowly, like she had no idea if she was right or not.

Grinning at her widely I nodded quickly. "Exactly," I said happily. "And assuming that one blows up the explosion will be so severe that it will set off a second and it will be a chain reaction. Bad planning on their part. We can destroy everything with those mines and they'll never know what hit them."

She shook her head at me and I saw the panic in her eyes. "But if we step on the mines it'll blow us sky high," she said.

I let a smirk cross my face. Going near the supplies wasn't in my plan. Shaking my head at her she gave me a confused look. "Which is why we'll never set foot near the mines," I said.

"So how do we do it?" Rue asked.

"I have the bow and arrows now. Whatever is loose I can shoot and when it hits the ground the mines will go off. It might not destroy anything inside of the Cornucopia but it will destroy most of their supplies," I said.

Her eyes lit up. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Reasonably. Hopefully it will be so bad that it starts a fight between them. They kill each other and we're one step closer to winning," I told her confidently.

For a moment I wondered if that was what the Careers always felt like. She shook her head at me and grabbed onto my arm. "But they'll see you," she cried softly.

I shook my head at her and looked around. My eyes fell on a small pile of leaves. "Nope, I have a plan. See those leaves over there?" I asked her.

She looked over to them. "Yeah?"

"They smoke, a lot. You're gonna head out and light a pile of them. Once you're sure it's lit you run. They'll leave the Cornucopia to check it out and I'll get it done while they're gone. The only thing is how we find each other again," I said.

My eyebrows furrowed. This arena was huge and we couldn't really set a meeting spot in case the Careers walked around to find the culprit of the fire. It took me a long time to figure it out. I wished that someone would send us something to be able to communicate from a distance. We both stood and looked around to find something that we could use. Finally Rue smirked and I knew that she had found something.

"I have an idea," she said.

I watched as she glanced up to the sky. She stuck her lips out and gave a short, three tuned whistle. It was pretty but it wouldn't carry throughout the arena. It took a moment but birds began to pick up the tune as they repeated it to each other. One of the birds that were carrying the tune flew by us and I smiled.

"Mockingjay's," I answered aloud.

It was true. If they liked you well enough then they would sing it back to you. She smiled up at me as I patted her on the back. This was good. It was our own private signal and it wouldn't alert the other Tributes. No one would ever understand what was going on.

"We used them back home to tell each other the time," she explained.

Nodding to her, I bent down slightly. "You do that tune and I'll know where to head to find you, okay?" I asked Rue.

"Got it."

We walked over to the pile of leaves and together we stacked them on top of each other, bringing down branches and other leaves to make the pile big enough so that it would be easy to see. "Alright. That's good, now let's get this started," I said.

"Okay," Rue said.

"You know how to start a fire?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Wait ten minutes to light this, okay?"

"Got it."

"And remember to run like crazy. It won't take long for this to go up. Okay, so if we hear that signal it means that we're okay and we'll be back real soon. We're gonna be okay," I told her.

She was glancing down at her feet. "I know," she whispered.

I grabbed her face and pulled it up to meet mine. She stared at me and I smiled at her. "Hey. I'll see you for supper," I reassured her.

She steeled her nerves and nodded at me. "Okay. Good luck," she whispered.

"You too, sweetie," I said.

This wasn't going to be easy but it would be well worth it in the end. It might mean that we would last longer. It might have meant that we would get rid of the Careers earlier than I had originally thought. I nodded to her and grabber her for in for another hug. She smiled into my chest and I released her. Before I could think better of the plan I turned away and began walking. I didn't want to hesitate a moment longer. We had to do this while it was still light enough for me to see. I jogged to the Career camp, knowing that I only had ten minutes once Rue lit the pyre. After it was lit everything would go into overdrive.

I would probably not have long to destroy the supplies. And once they were blown away it wouldn't be long before the Careers came tearing back to their camp. Finally I saw the open space in the trees and I ducked down. Cato had moved now and was speaking softly with Clove. Coral was still standing by herself, twirling her spear and looking around from time to time. Ethan was sitting in a chair with one of Marvel's spears in hand. Just a moment later Marvel came rushing through the woods with a panic stricken look.

The Careers all came walking over to him. Ethan trailing behind and I glanced up. They were about to leave. Just like we had planned. Back behind us there were clouds billowing in the sky and I took a breath in. Rue had lit the pyre and hopefully she was moving on by now. She wouldn't have much time now and there wasn't long before I would have to blow the supplies.

"Guys, guys look! Come here. Come on, come on look!" Marvel was shouting.

The Careers all glanced up and I saw emotion cross Cato's eyes for the first time today. The leader of the Careers stepped forward and looked to the distance. "Let's go. You stay guard over till we get back," he told Ethan, shoving his spear into his chest.

Ethan nodded and stepped back and I sighed deeply. Damn it, Cato. I had been counting on all of the Careers stepping away so that I could get closer. This might be too far away to hit anything. Even Katniss would have an issue from here. They all ran into the woods and I sighed as Ethan took his spot in his chair. He was facing me so there was no way that I could even try for it. He would see me and I would have to run. I would blow the entire cover. He was going to have to move or else I would have to take my chances and try for it.

I positioned myself for the shot, counting in the back of my head when a bright red flash of hair made me stop. Finch darted out and danced around the mines grabbing a small orange and darting back out. I giggled under my breath and shook my head. I felt bad that I would be destroying her food source but this had to happen. Ethan heard the girl running and he stood, glancing around for a minute before he ran to follow her in the woods. I laughed and shook my head at him. Idiot. But it gave me the chance that I needed.

Without much time to spare, I stepped out into the open and looked for anything to activate the mines. About ten feet off of the ground there was a bag of apples and I smirked at it. Raising my arrow I lined it up with the bag and shot. It tore a tiny hole in the bottom of the bag but it wasn't big enough to tear. I sighed and nocked a second arrow. Waiting until I knew I had a perfect shot, I took a deep breath in and on the exhale I shot. The arrow flew through the air and tore a larger hole in the bag. This time the apples tumbled out. It took them a moment but once they hit the ground the mines were a chain reaction.

They all blew and I was thrown back from the impact. The wind was knocked out of me and I rolled over, desperately trying to suck air back into my lungs. For a moment I laid there with a high pitched ringing in both ears. The ground was still shaking with explosions but I couldn't hear them anymore. The ringing had faded. There was a searing pain in my right arm. I lifted it up and cried out. Not that I heard it. The skin on my right arm was charred from the heat of the impact. It was probably the adrenaline keeping the pain at bay for now. It would hurt like hell later. Right now I was more concerned with my hearing.

I couldn't hear anything at the moment. That was the first thing that terrified me. I needed to be able to hear. I needed to hear something. My hearing was one of the ways that I had made it this far. But the apples must have set off enough mines, causing debris to activate the others. The ground was still rumbling from the explosions. I managed to shield my face with my arms as shattered bits of matter, some of it burning, rained down around me. It made me cringe in pain as more burned metal fell into my open burn on my arm. An acrid smoke filled the air, which was not the best remedy for someone trying to regain the ability to breathe.

After about a minute, the ground finally stopped vibrating. I rolled on my side and allowed myself a moment of satisfaction the sight of the smoldering wreckage that was recently the pyramid. At least the plan had worked. I couldn't believe it. The Careers weren't likely to salvage anything out of that. Not a damned thing. I knew that I had to get out of there. They would be making a beeline for the place.

But once I was back on my feet, I realized escape may not be so simple. No... I'd damaged the pile of their supplies but now I'd also managed to destroy my hearing and maybe my only chance of getting away. I was extremely dizzy. Not the slightly wobbly kind, but the kind that sent the trees swooping around you and caused the earth to move in waves underneath your feet. I took a few steps and somehow wound up on my hands and knees. I waited a few minutes to let it pass, but it didn't.

Panic began to set in. I had been mostly stunned before. Now I was panicked. I couldn't stay here. Flight was essential. I needed to be miles away. But I could neither walk nor hear. I placed a hand to my left ear, the one that was turned toward the blast, and it came away bloody. I gasped, not that I could hear it. Had I gone deaf from the explosion? The idea frightened me. I relied as much on my ears as my eyes as a hunter, maybe more at times. But I couldn't let my fear show. Absolutely, positively, I was live on every screen in Panem.

No blood trails. I managed to pull my hood up over my head and tie the cord under my chin with uncooperative fingers. It would help soak up the blood. I couldn't walk. Could I crawl? I moved forward tentatively. Yes, if I went very slowly, I could crawl. Most of the woods would offer insufficient cover. I had to make it back to Rue's copse and conceal myself in greenery. I couldn't get caught out here on my hands and knees in the open. Not only would I face death it was sure to be a long and painful one at Cato's hand. The thought of Prim having to watch that kept me doggedly inching my way toward the hideout.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to make it very far. Another blast knocked me flat on my face. It was a stray mine, set off by some collapsing crate. The moment that I thought that it might have been over it happened again. It fact it happened twice more. I was reminded of those last few kernels that burst when Prim, Katniss, and I popped corn over the fire at home.

To say I made it in the nick of time was an understatement. I had literally just dragged myself into the tangle of bushes at the base of the trees when Cato came barreling onto the plain, soon followed by his companions. His rage was so extreme it might have been comical - people really did tear out their hair and beat the ground with their fists - if I didn't know that it was aimed at me and what I had done to him. Added to my proximity and inability to run or defend myself, and the whole thing had me terrified. I was glad that my hiding place made it impossible for the cameras to get a close shot of me because I was biting my nails like there was no tomorrow. Gnawing off the last bits of nail polish to try and keep my teeth from chattering.

The Careers were starting to calm down. Ethan threw stones into the ruins for a little while. He must have declared all the mines activated because the Careers were finally starting to approach the wreckage. Cato had finished the first phase of his tantrum and had taken out his anger on the smoking remains by kicking open various containers. Clove, Coral, and Marvel were poking around in the mess, looking for anything to salvage, but there was nothing. Ethan had done his job too well.

Cato marched up to Ethan and I saw the fury blazing in his eyes. "What the hell happened?" Cato shouted at Ethan.

It was the first thing that I was able to hear but even that was extremely muffled. I could tell that the younger boy was trying to explain. Before he could Cato snapped his neck. My eyes widened and as the cannon gently thumped. That was what it sounded like. That was enough for me to drag myself to my feet and woozily sprint away from the Career camp. There was no doubt in my mind that Cato would kill me right now if he found me. As I ran I did the whistle that Rue had taught me and listened as the Mockingjay's repeated it. The song faded out and I waited to see if Rue would whistle it back. But she never did.

Panic began to set in I made to do the whistle again. But a shout of my name made my blood freeze. "Aspen! Aspen!" Rue's screamed.

My left ear was completely deadened to the noise but I could just barely hear her shouts over the ringing in my right. At least I wasn't completely deaf. Some of my hearing was starting to come back to me. My thoughts of my deafness were gone. Rue was my priority now. She wasn't far, I could tell. So I took off and sprinted towards where her voice had come from.

"Rue! Rue come to me!" I screamed out.

Honestly I didn't care if any of the Tributes were around, I just had to get to Rue. I would shoot them dead within seconds. I just needed Rue to be here. She was the only thing that mattered at the moment. I ran straight forward and gasped when I saw Rue running around the corner of a tree. She was here and unharmed. She was directly in front of me and I held out a hand for her to get to me.

"Aspen, someone is -" Rue began to yell before a figure stepped out from the trees and blocked me from Rue. "Ah!"

Rue screamed as the figure grabbed her. I raised my bow up and stared right into Marvel's eyes. He had his spear aimed into her side and I raised my bow to his head. Over my dead body would he hurt her. But I couldn't shoot him. He would make a sudden move. We all stared at each other for a moment, daring the other to make a move. Rue was staring at me with fear plain in her eyes and my gut twisted painfully as I imagined Prim in his arms. Marvel was smirking at me and bouncing his spear across her side, knowing that it was driving me nuts.

"Let her go, Marvel," I hissed.

He smirked at me and shook his head. I debated on shooting him right now but I didn't want him to have a jerk reaction and stab her. "I don't think so, Twelve. See I know that it was you who dropped the Tracker Jacker nest on us. Nice going by the way, that was smart," he said.

"Thank you."

"And I know that you got stung a few times in the process. Passed out for a few days I'm sure. You know what today is?"

"Does it matter?" I snapped harshly.

"Shame. I told you that I'd be back today to get your answer on my proposal. You never showed at our spot so I can only assume that you decided not to join me. And what did I say? You made a dangerous enemy. And now your little friend is gonna pay for it," he answered.

My eyes widened and I felt my heart leap into my throat. I had been so busy thinking about Rue and the food and Cato that I hadn't even remembered that today was the day that Marvel wanted me to join him to kill Cato. He dug his spear lightly into her side and I saw blood trickle onto the ground. Rue grimaced and I knew that my face was a pale white. I immediately dropped my bow and fired an arrow into his foot. Marvel gasped and dug the spear in a little more. I cringed, knowing that I had made a mistake. I couldn't get in a head shot. Rue was in front of him.

"You bitch," Marvel snarled.

"Let her go! Do you want me to help you kill Cato? Is that it? Fine! I'll do it! Just let her go," I pleaded.

He laughed and shook his head at me. His foot was obviously throbbing. "Really? After putting an arrow through my foot," he growled.

"You'll live."

"You'd be willing to sell him out for even the slightest chance that she lives? Or are you just gonna kill her yourself?" he asked, with a sly grin.

"I'm giving you what you want. Now let her go," I said.

I loved Cato but if it meant letting Rue live then that was it. I had to do this for her. Maybe Cato would forgive me in hell. Or maybe we would spend the rest of eternity torturing each other. It didn't matter. He smiled at me and let out a fake sigh.

"Okay. Fine. If you're that hell-bent on saving the little girl. Go," Marvel said, releasing her from his gasp.

Cato's death would be worth it. She would be safe. I let out a shaky sigh and held my arms open for her to run to me. She picked up her speed and I saw the relieved look on her face. Right as she got to me I saw her eyes widen and she stopped. We both looked down and I saw that a silver spear was sticking through her stomach. She fell to the ground and I screamed loudly, not actually hearing it. Seeing nothing but red, with tears streaming down my face, I dropped my bow and grabbed my knife. I raced forward to Marvel and plowed him onto the ground. He was going to die.

"No! How could you? I was going to give you what you wanted!" I screamed, throwing the knife from side to side.

She had meant everything to me in these Games and he had taken her from me. She wasn't dead yet. I could save her. She needed a Sponsor. I could get her one. Marvel tried to wrestle me to the ground, but I was steeled on top of him. He laughed at me and spit to the side.

"You think I'm stupid? I knew what you were going to do. You were going to take the girl and disappear and the next time that you saw Cato you would tell him all about my plan," he hissed.

"So you punished her for it?" I screamed as I slashed out at him again.

The knife tore across Marvel's face and he howled at the pain. He grabbed onto my right arm and I cried out at the searing pain that shot through me. Once more he laughed at me and shook his head, kicking me in the back.

"No. I'm punishing you. Because you can't save her and you know it," he said.

Even now he was daring to tease me. I roared loudly and raised my knife, driving it down into his chest. He gasped at me and I pushed the knife the rest of the way into his chest. His body went limp and I dropped my weight onto Marvel's dying body. My breath was coming out in ragged gasps and Marvel was staring at me with wide eyes, trying to get air into his lungs. With the hand still on the handle of the knife I stared into his eyes.

"I spent all this time thinking that Cato was the monster because of what those boys did to my parents. I thought that he was the one that I needed to worry about hurting me and I needed to worry about killing him. I never realized that the real monster was you," I sobbed, before twisting the knife into his chest.

He screamed loudly before he fell silent and a cannon boom rattled me. With Marvel gone, I leaped off of him and raced over to Rue, grabbing her cold body in my arms. "It's okay. You're okay. You're alright. You're fine.. See? It's okay. You're okay. You're okay. You're okay. I shouldn't have left you alone. How could he do this?" I asked desperately.

She smiled up at me and grabbed one of my hands that was holding her. I let her body slip slightly and I brought her tiny hand to my mouth. "You didn't know he was out here," she said.

Shaking my head at her I dropped her hand slightly and grabbed her to me. I pulled her shirt up and stared at the wound, letting more tears slip out of my eyes. It was too late. No Sponsor medicine would do anything. Her guts were practically hanging out and the spear and gone clean through her. She had removed it and the spear was lying next to her.

"I should have remembered," I said quietly.

Rue shook her head at me and forced me to look away from the wound. I pulled her shirt back over her stomach and looked to her face. It was almost white and I knew that she didn't have long left.

"This isn't on you. Did you blow up the food?" she asked.

"Every bit of it," I said.

Grabbing my hand she nodded at me and smiled. She looked like she was at peace but her death would change me forever. "Good. You have to win. Win with Cato. Be with him, Aspen, please. You looked so happy whenever the two of you were together. I want to look down and see you two together," she said.

A Sponsor. I could still get her a Sponsor. "Help me!" I screamed to a camera.

"Aspen."

"Help!"

"It's okay."

"Please help me. Help her," I sobbed.

"It's okay," Rue repeated.

"Haymitch, please..." I begged.

"It's okay, Aspen," Rue whispered. I cried loudly and sobbed as she wiped my tears out of my eyes. Her own brown eyes rolled back but she forced them to look at me. "Will you sing to me?"

I nodded at her and cleared my throat. "Okay."

My voice was raspy from the smoke that I had inhaled and I knew that it wouldn't be as nice as it normally was. But it was her last request. I had to do this for her. I owed it to her to do this one last thing for her. I thought back to District 12 and nodded. One song came to mind and it was the song that Katniss and I used to sing Prim to get her to go to sleep.

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow

Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes

And when again they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay

And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.

Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you."

The last few lines were barely audible. I sang to her with a cracking voice. Her eyes rolled back and slipped shut and there was the loud boom of a cannon. Rue's cannon. I tried to shake her awake but it was to no avail. She merely lay there, cold as ice. I let her body fall in front of me and I leaned onto her, sobbing uncontrollably. I knew how loud I was being but I didn't care. Someone could have killed me right now and I wouldn't have cared.

For a while I tried to be stone cold about it. They would want me to clear out now. So they could collect the bodies. They would need to transport them back to their home Districts. And there was nothing to stay for. This wasn't my place. I rolled Marvel over and took his pack before retrieving the knife that ended his life. I cut Rue's pack from her back too, knowing that she would want me to have it.

No matter how hard I tried I couldn't stop looking at Rue. She was smaller than ever. She looked like a baby animal curled up in a nest of netting. It broke my heart. I couldn't leave her alone. I couldn't bring myself to leave her like that. Past harm, but seeming utterly defenseless. I couldn't do it. I had to do something for her. But what? She was already dead. To hate Marvel, who also appeared to be so vulnerable in death, seemed inadequate. It was the Capitol I hated, for doing this to all of us.

Gale's voice was loud in my head. His ravings against the Capitol no longer seemed pointless. They were no longer to be ignored. Rue's death had forced me to confront my own fury against the cruelty and the injustice they inflicted upon us. She was only twelve. But here, even more strongly than at home, I felt my impotence. There was no way to take revenge on the Capitol but to win the Games. Or was there? There had to be. I was more than just a piece in their Games.

I wanted to do something, right here and right now, to shame them and to make them accountable. I wanted to show the Capitol that whatever they did or forced us to do, there was a part of every Tribute that they couldn't own. That Rue was more than a piece in their Games. And so was I.

A few steps into the woods there was a bank of wildflowers that were growing. Or perhaps they were really weeds of some sort but they had blossoms in beautiful shades of violet and yellow and white. They looked like some of the prettiest flowers that I had seen. It felt like they were mocking me. I would mock them. So I spent hours I gathering up an armfuls and coming back to Rue's side. Slowly, one stem at a time, I decorated her body in the flowers. Covering the ugly wound. Wreathing her face. Weaving her hair with the bright colors. I finally zipped up her jacket and crossed her arms over her torso.

They would have to show it. Or, even if they chose to turn the cameras elsewhere at this moment, they would have to bring them back when they collected the bodies. Everyone would see her then and know that I did it. I stepped back for a moment to take a last look at Rue. She could really be asleep in that meadow after all.

After a minute I brushed her hair back. I planted a small kiss on her forehead and stood, turning to the camera. I gave it the same three fingered salute that the people of District 12 had given me when I volunteered for Prim and I dropped back to the ground. It would be smart to leave. But I couldn't. The last thing that I wanted to do was leave her. Before I could force myself to leave a small Sponsor package landed in front of me. I narrowed my eyes. It was too late for Rue. Maybe it was medicine for my ear.

Because I didn't want to sit still any longer I leaned forward and opened the parachute. Immediately I found a small loaf of bread. It wasn't the fine white Capitol stuff. It was made of dark ration grain and shaped in a crescent. Sprinkled with seeds. The first afternoon of training, when we were trying to find something to talk about, Peeta gave me a lesson on every bread that he knew from the bakery. The bread came from District 11.

I cautiously lifted the still warm loaf. What must it have cost the people of District 11 who couldn't even feed themselves? How many would have had to do without to scrape up a coin to put in the collection for this one loaf? It had been meant for Rue, surely. But instead of pulling the gift when she died, they had authorized Haymitch to give it to me. As a thank you? Or because, like me, they don't like to let debts go unpaid? For whatever reason, this was a first. A District gift to a Tribute who wasn't your own.

I lifted my face and stepped into a ray of sunlight. "My thanks to the people of District 11," I said.

I wanted them to know that I knew where it came from. The full value of their gift had been recognized. I dropped back to my knees. I was dead inside and blown half to hell. There was nothing else that they could do to me. My body was ice cold except for the fire that was radiating through my right arm. It was incredibly painful but I forced myself to stay at Rue's side. It was my fault and I would stay with her. A branch cracked behind me but I stayed put. If it was someone who wanted to kill me, let them. The heavy fall of footsteps alerted me to who it was. The footsteps stopped and I waited for him to speak.

"That's beautiful," he told me softly. "I'm sorry about your friend, Aspen. I really am."

Cato was being cautious with his words. Shaking my head I sat with my legs under me. "Did you know that he was going to do this?" I asked.

Had the circumstance been different I knew that I would have been shocked at myself. The lack of emotion in my voice was something that I had never heard before. I wondered if everyone back home was shocked too. Turning for a moment I saw that Cato was looking over at Marvel. He walked over quickly and looked down to see who it was that was laying in the grass. He caught sight of Marvel's face and shook his head with a sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose and I turned to him. He saw my face and I saw the shock in his eyes. But he quickly shook his head free of it and stared at me sadly.

"No. He said that he was going out on a Tribute hunt. I see that he was the one who got hunted. That leaves six of us," Cato said.

I turned away from him, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes. I dropped my head into my hands and shoved a hand back towards him, motioning away from me. "Leave me alone Cato. Please," I begged.

Part of me wondered if he finally had gotten over his desire to kill me but I realized that I really didn't care. The only thing that I cared about was the fact that I wasn't able to save Rue. "Aspen, you aren't in the right state to be alone now. Come on, let me help you for a little while," Cato said.

"Go away."

"No. Come on. They have to take her body," he said.

I whipped around and glared at him and knew that he had realized his mistake. "I'm not leaving," I snarled.

"I'm sorry but her family will want to bury her. They've all seen what you did and they know that you tried to save her. They're grateful. Apparently very grateful," Cato reassured me.

I shook my head and scoffed at him. "I failed her," I said softly.

No matter how much I had been determined to save her it hadn't worked in the end. She was dead and I was still here. Miserable without her. "But you tried," Cato said.

Shaking my head at him I felt a sudden anger shoot through me. "Why are you even here?" I hissed.

"For you."

"You made it pretty clear last time I saw you that you wanted nothing to do with me. So leave me here," I snarled.

It wasn't really Cato that I was mad with. It was Marvel. But he was the person that was here so he was who I would take it out on. He took a few steps toward me and my jaw tightened. I just wanted to be alone. Why wouldn't he just leave me in my misery?

"If I leave you here then you won't move. You'll die," Cato said.

"Let me."

"No. I won't let that happen. Everything I said the other day was a lie. I don't know what came over me. I was just so mad. I'm sorry, Aspen," he said.

If there was any feeling left in me at all I knew that it was for my heart dropping into my stomach. Maybe what Finch had said really was true. Maybe he really had just succumbed to the venom. But I was determined not to forgive him. Wiping all emotional attachment from him I shook my head and stared at Rue.

"Is that the first time that you've ever said sorry?" I asked.

He was silent for a moment and I couldn't help but wonder if the Capitol was blocking Rue out right now. They must have been beside themselves with me but I didn't care. They could kill me if they wanted. Then Cato would get to go home, just like he wanted. I wondered what people were thinking. Was Rue the first Tribute that they hadn't wanted to see dead? I hoped that they were disgusted with themselves.

"It's the first time that I've meant it," he finally answered.

I let out a humorless laugh. Maybe if I made him mad enough he would kill me. Just like he had promised me. He would be the perfect Victor that he had always thought that he would be. "In that case I guess I should say I'm sorry for blowing up your food and supplies earlier today. And the Tracker Jackers," I said.

"You blew up the stuff?" he shouted.

He was clearly steaming at the thought that I had been the one to try and kill him by starvation or dehydration. He should have expected it after what he had said to me though. Scoffing at him through a laugh I once more stared at Rue's stomach and shook my head. I couldn't get the sight of her standing in front of me with Marvel's spear protruding through her stomach out of my head.

"Good plan, right? You got me back for it."

"You did it," Cato said, still seething.

"Didn't you see the arrows?" I asked.

"Everything was destroyed. I should have figured," he sighed.

We stayed in silence for a moment and I watched as Cato walked over to where Marvel's body lay. He leaned down to the corpse of the younger boy and ripped the arrow out of his foot. Normally I would have looked away, but nothing disgusted me anymore. And he deserved what he had gotten. He was nothing more than a piece of dirt that would rot in hell for what he had done to Rue. Cato glanced at Marvel like he was almost sad for his death and I scoffed.

"He was planning on killing you," I told Cato.

"What?" he asked, turning to look my way.

I nodded my head back over to Marvel's body. "Marvel. He was going to kill you. He had this whole plan. Before I dropped the nest on you he came up to me and threatened me. He was going to invite you to go hunting. He gave me a knife that he had hidden from you. He told me to stab myself in the leg with it and he would give me medicine to help myself after it was all over. He was going to split up with you and I was going to lay here in pain. You would have found me and panicked. He was going to sneak up behind you and kill you," I explained the plan as simply as possible.

He stared at Marvel's corpse in disgust for a moment before looking back to me. I was turned so that I could face him and he looked at me suspiciously. "Did you agree to it?" he asked.

"No," I answered.

For a moment he stared at me with a confused face and I shrugged my shoulders at him. It hadn't really been to protect him. Maybe it had been a little bit. But I had more said no to the plan because I hadn't wanted Cato to find out and then kill me. I had been about to run away from the plan when Rue had walked into my life. I should have left her. Things would be so much different now.

"Why not?" he asked.

I shook my head and turned to meet his eyes. He looked so concerned for me that it hurt to look at him. "You know why not," I said.

I looked back down at Rue and brushed a small strand of hair away that had fallen in her face. Her lips were turning a faint blue and I knew that the hovercraft would be here at any minute for her. "Thank you," he said.

He had nothing to thank me for. "He wanted my answer today and I had forgotten about that. I was so concerned with Rue. We made the plan to destroy your supplies and I left her. He found her and grabbed her. He told me that I had to agree and he would spare her and I did. She was walking over to me and he went back on it. He threw the spear at her and I attacked him," I told him the watered down version of everything that had happened before he had gotten here.

His eyes widened at me and I saw the disbelief in them. He glanced down at my injured arm and he finally saw how severe the burn marks were. It was no big deal. I almost liked the feeling of the burn. It reminded me of my failure and reminded me that I was still alive. I hid my arm behind my back and growled when I saw the look of pity in his eyes. I didn't want pity. I wanted Rue. But no one could give her back to me.

"You were going to accept it when he threatened her?" he asked.

I whipped around to face him and kept my eyes aimed to the sky, making sure that I could see when the hovercraft came through to collect the bodies. "She's twelve, Cato," I growled.

For once I saw him back down. "I know," he whispered.

"Twelve fucking years old. She'll never get to have a real life," I said sadly, glancing back at her body.

He walked slightly closer and leaned down in front of me, grabbing my face so that I could only look at him. "No... But in her last moments she knew that there would have been no one better to be with. She didn't die alone and for that I'm sure that her family will thank you for it," he said.

I shook my head at him and ripped my chin from his grasp. My eyes were watering with tears. Maybe I wasn't done crying yet. "No, they won't. They'll hate me because it was my fault she died," I said honestly.

I would hate me too if I were them. "It wasn't your fault," Cato said.

"It was. She would have never been anywhere near here and Marvel would have only taken his anger out on me," I said.

He stayed silent and I looked away from him. There was a slow whir and for a moment I thought that maybe it was my hearing in my right ear coming back. I glanced up and saw that it was a hovercraft coming to grab the bodies. It was finally here. I wasn't going to move though. They wouldn't take her while I was here. The large machine made its way over to Marvel and a claw dropped down to grab his body. He was sucked into the large ship and it slowly made its way over Rue and me. But still, I stayed where I was.

"Aspen, that's the hovercraft," Cato said, like I had no idea what it was. "We have to go. Come on, Aspen."

He grabbed my arm and instantly I went into a panic. I tried to get away from him but he merely dragged me away so that I could no longer get to Rue's body. "No! No! No! Let go of me! No! Get off!" I yelled.

I was desperate to get back to her but he kept a tight grip on me. The claw came down and grabbed Rue and I watched as the flowers fell from her body. She was taken into the craft and I glanced down at the outline of her body. Crying loudly, Cato pulled me into his lap and pressed my head into his neck. Tears were once more streaming down my face as I thought about her being anywhere near those people. Cato grabbed me tightly and I balled my fists into his shirt. He let me tighten my grip on him as we sat there together. He rocked me gently and I quickly wet his shirt with my tears while I sobbed into him.

"Shh... It's okay. I know... It's gonna be okay. Come here," he whispered.

For hours we lay like that and never once did he loosen his grip.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

In The Arena Control Room...

Seneca Crane had seen the Control room silent before. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence during the Games. Plenty of things happened that silenced the citizens of the Capitol. It was normally a good thing because it meant that the people were shocked. It meant that something interesting was happening. It usually happened when a favored Tribute died or when there was an unusual outcome of a fight. It made everything fascinating. During the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hunger Games he had seen the room silent five times before today.

The first had come when Aspen Antaeus and Cato Hadley had saved each other during the Bloodbath. After that it had been when Peeta Mellark had told the Careers that he would help them find Aspen if they spared him. Then it had been when Aspen had somehow managed to kill the mutt that had been set on her at the beginning of the Games. There had also been when she had been cornered by Cato after she had dropped the Tracker Jackers and blown up the Careers supplies. It seemed that the stunned silences were always because of her.

For the sixth time in the Games the Control Room was once more silent. There was nothing good about the silence this time. There would be no increase in the ratings. People were just stunned. Everyone was stunned. No one knew what they were supposed to do. Even Seneca Crane didn't know what to do about the silence. Because this time it wasn't from shock at a death. It was out of pure fear. It hadn't been surprising that the plan Aspen and Rue had created had backfired on them. Despite the fact that it was brave of her to do she had suffered for it.

She had third degree burns all down her right arm and was fifty-seven percent deaf. The Capitol could fix that but it would prove to be a hindrance during these last few days of the Games. Seneca had known that Marvel would turn back on Aspen the moment that he had caught the little girl. In a way he felt bad for Aspen. The poor girl had lost someone that reminded her so much of Primrose. He knew that Aspen had been planning on saving the girl in the end. He admired her for that. But right now he wished that the wolf mutt had killed her all those days ago.

At this very moment the room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. Seneca was staring at the screens praying that everything that had happened was just a joke. He had seen Tributes cry over the deaths of friends in the arena. He had expected Aspen to cry. But he hadn't expected what she had done. Once she had gotten through her tears she had planted flowers all around the younger girl and had saluted her home District. The move had been her way of saying goodbye and respecting her friend but the Capitol had seen it as a movement of defiance. And that was not good for anyone.

The bread that the District had sent her was only the beginning. It was meant to be a sweet moment. They had thought that she would smile, maybe cry a little bit, and thank them. But she had been too strong about it. And that moment of strength was enough to make District 11 realize that they could have the strength too. District 11 was currently in an uprising from the death of their young Tribute after seeing all that Aspen had done for the little girl. It wasn't good. Seneca could see the screens as the people of District 11 started to destroy the Town Square and attempt to attack the Peacekeepers.

Seneca knew that he should have been watching the Tributes but he was watching the uprising. Slowly the Peacekeepers were getting a handle on the situation but it had been a long fight. Almost two hours the miniature uprising had gone on and it was just now being handled. Seneca had tried hard to get the cameras off of Aspen and Rue and turn to focus the attention on the Career camp that were dealing with the destruction, but he wasn't able to. He had to go through a long process of disabling the cameras and by the time he was able to it was too late. The damage had already been done.

There was nothing that could be done. It was already shown. And now they had to deal with the repercussions. Right now thankfully nothing much was happening. Clove and Coral were attempting to fix the mess that had been made of their supplies. Finch was simply sitting under a brush and waiting out the Games. Peeta was still in the cave as he recovered from his leg injury. Thresh was lying low in the wheat field. Every screen was on the other two Tributes. Right now the mentioned Tribute was laying in Cato's arms, crying into his shoulder. Her tears had stopped a while ago but she hadn't let go of his neck yet.

And for some reason he hadn't let go of her. He had his head nestled in between the crook of her neck and shoulder. He was slowly stroking her hair and whispering something into her ear. Every once in a while he would brush his lips against her temple and Seneca would see the small shudder that would go through her. She was desperately in love with him but so heartbroken. Seneca had waited for word on how the Capitol citizens had reacted to the sweet moment between the two Tributes but nothing had come back yet. Everyone was still reeling from the recent events.

A small ping came up onto the screen that Seneca was standing over and he glanced down at it. A large red box popped up and Seneca clicked on it. The box was a message that had President Snow's signature on the bottom of it. The Head Gamemaker gulped deeply and opened the message. He quickly scanned over it and just as he finished the announcement that both Claudius Templesmith and he were on their way to the Control Room he heard the automatic doors slide open. In a way Seneca was relieved but he was also about ready to have a heart attack at the thought of the President being back here.

This was definitely the wrong time for President Snow to be dropping in. Slowly Seneca turned back to the door and gave a tiny bow to the four men that were standing in the doorway. He would have given anything for all of them to be anywhere but here right now. The first was Haymitch Abernathy, the one remaining Victor of District 12. He was paler than Seneca had ever seen him before. The next was Brutus, perhaps the most favored Victor of District 2. Brutus looked furious. Seneca knew both men but wasn't a fan of either.

Brutus had basically destroyed the Games during his time in them. He had gone on a killing rampage leaving no room for mutts or any arena alterations. It was a bloody Games and he was a popular Victor, but by no means liked by the Gamemakers. Snow seemed to like him well enough. And it was obvious why Seneca was no fan of Haymitch. He was not a Victor that anyone particularly liked.

Standing to the right of the President was Claudius Templesmith. He was another announcer for the Games, just like Caesar Flickerman. But unlike the more popular of the two, Claudius was the one that would announce anything that had to do with alterations of the arena and he was also the one who would announce the winner at the end of the Games.

They were the three that Seneca didn't mind seeing too much. He would have much rather been dealing with the three of them. Not the last of them. The final of the men was the one man who Seneca would have paid a million dollars to not see right now. Or ever again. Ever would have been good. President Snow stood in the middle of the men with an angry sneer on his face. Seneca knew enough that it was a terrible situation. President Snow had his fury buried under the calm demeanor that he had worked so hard to maintain throughout the years.

Seneca had seen the President angry before but he had never seen the burning, white hot fury that laid under his eyes right now. It unnerved the Head Gamemaker to no end. He knew that part of this was his fault. Because he hadn't been able to do anything about it. President Snow walked forward slightly and nodded to Seneca as he passed. Seneca moved to the side as President Snow walked up to the control panel and hit the zoom button on the camera that was aimed towards Aspen and Cato.

He watched the pair as Cato stroked Aspen's thigh and wound his free hand through her hair. She had one hand balling up the bottom of his shirt and the other hand was pressed roughly into the back of his neck. Seneca heard the deep sigh that escaped his throat as he turned back to the four men that were crowded behind him. Haymitch and Brutus were standing close to each other, both with their eyes locked onto their respective Tributes. Snow made a few paces back and forth and Seneca could feel the tense air in the room as everyone waited for what he would say.

"Well, what do the two of you have to say for your Tributes?" Snow snarled, turning back to the two older men.

Seneca watched as Haymitch and Brutus's faces dropped and they searched for the right words. If they had looked pale before they were the purest white right now. They were terrified. Because this could definitely fall back on them. All of them. Seneca knew what would happen here. Haymitch was going to try and rectify the situation and Brutus would only fight against the President. The District 12 Victor finally stepped forward with a gentle look on his face.

"President Snow, she didn't do that out of spite for the Capitol. She was friends with Rue and it hurt to lose her. She only wanted to pay respects to her. The salute was only to tell Rue's family that she respected and would miss her. I guarantee you that she thought nothing of what she did," Haymitch said softly, to the head of Panem.

The President walked back and stared at the screen that was still focused on the loving pair of Tributes. Snow traced over the pair before banging on the glass. Seneca and most of the other Gamemakers jumped at the sudden outburst. The old man was usually calm and it was rare to see an outburst like that. Aspen had no idea what was coming her way if she somehow made it out of the arena.

"And you, Brutus?" President Snow asked.

"What exactly do I need to justify Cato's actions for?" Brutus snapped angrily.

The President turned back to him with an amused look. "Take a look at District 11," President Snow warned.

"She was the one that acted. Cato is playing the Games. He's done well. He's killed multiple Tributes and is still the favorite to win," Brutus argued for his Tribute.

Taking deliberately small steps, President Snow made his way to Brutus. The normally brave Victor's face fell and Seneca saw him gulp deeply as the older man approached. "He's fallen in love with her, Brutus," President Snow said.

"He may care for her," Brutus said slowly.

"I know that you told him to leave her alone but he ignored you and did what he wanted. Just like children do. It isn't surprising," President Snow said, before turning away and glancing back up to the screen.

Brutus visibly let a breath out as the President turned his back. "As you said... they're children," Brutus muttered.

"And capable of much. The love story was sweet for a while. The Capitol liked them together but still wanted to see the fight that would happen at the end. Things are different now. The longer that the two of them are together the more that everyone wants to see them together," Snow growled at the screen.

The room fell back into silence as all of the eyes in the room traveled over to where President Snow stood, still as a statue. Seneca's eyes shot over to Claudius as the man walked over to stand next to his old friend. "Forgive me, sir," Claudius started.

"Continue," President Snow said.

"Since when has an upset over the winning Tribute ever been a problem?" he asked Snow, who turned back to him. "Plenty of Victors haven't been the favorites. We do some good press for the Victor and them the Capitol is happy once more."

Obviously he was trying to fix the very large problem that was now at hand. He would never say anything about it to the man but Seneca knew that President Snow was always soft on Claudius. The two were old friends and that was probably why he had gotten his spot on the broadcasting team for the Games. He was nowhere near as popular as Caesar Flickerman but no one would dare challenge the President's choice.

"That was different. There was no love story in it. There is now. If we kill one of them and the other lives than the Capitol will be in ruins. There has to be something done about them," President Snow said.

"But what?" Claudius asked.

"Seneca, every Tribute must need something right now. Correct?" the President asked the Head Gamemaker.

Seneca's heart nearly stopped as he was addressed by the man. He had been hoping that President Snow wouldn't speak to him while he was in the Control Room. He was rather fond of the President but not on days like this. At least for the moment he seemed to have calmed down. But Snow looked like he was getting an idea and that would mean nothing good for the remaining Tributes.

"Yes, sir. We know that Clove needs food and water right now. After Aspen blew up the Career supplies she's been looking for anything. But there aren't any Tributes to steal from anymore. Finch is in the same position. Cato doesn't really need anything but we do have a plan for the Death Match. He was going to receive something that a Sponsor sent to us a few days ago. We haven't sent it in yet. A Sponsor for Coral sent her a weapon but we haven't sent that in yet either with all of the chaos. Peeta needs more medicine for his leg and Thresh needs water. He's running dangerously low," Seneca answered.

President Snow was nodding almost absentmindedly. As hard as he tried he couldn't think of anything that Aspen needed. For someone who was so broken she was actually handling the arena rather well. Her arm was badly burned but she had shown no signs of pain.

"And what about Miss Antaeus?" President Snow asked.

Seneca sighed and shook his head at the older man. "As far as I know she's doing well on supplies. She has enough food to last her another day and she has weapons to hunt with. Defend herself with. She does have an injured arm but she seems to be showing no signs of pain. Sponsors will get to her if it does become a problem. For now though she doesn't need medicine. Overall, I think she's doing well," Seneca told the President honestly.

He didn't want to strike a nerve but he had to give the man the truth. With how silent the room was it was easy to hear the low rumble that came from deep within the President's throat. For once it didn't seem that President Snow was angry with a decision that Seneca had made, he just seemed infuriated with everything that Aspen was doing. Without knowing it she was making these Games something totally different. It was a love story between two people that couldn't be together.

"There has to be something that she needs, don't you both think?" Snow asked both Haymitch and Seneca.

They both wracked their brain for anything that the oldest Tribute could possibly use in the Games. There wasn't much that either one of them could think of. It might just have to be the medicine. Seneca kept coming up with nothing and was beginning to fear for what President Snow would say at his nonexistent answer. Haymitch thought hard as well and for a while he also came up with nothing. But then he reached down to his pocket and a sudden thought came rocketing through his mind.

"There is something," Haymitch said.

"What?" President Snow asked.

"I've been holding onto it for a long time if the day ever came that she was in this position. It isn't much and she doesn't really need it, but it's the best that I have," Haymitch offered up his only idea.

Instead of asking what it was again, President Snow nodded and slowly walked over to the group of men once more. "Then it will work," he said quickly, before moving to stand in front of Claudius. "Now Claudius, I have an announcement that I would like you to make once the two of them move on. Can you do that for me?"

Everyone knew that Claudius would nod and accept it no matter what the request was. It was a death sentence to ever say no to a request from the President. "Absolutely, sir. What kind of announcement is it?" Claudius asked.

Seneca perked up. It didn't look good. President Snow slowly turned away from them and nodded for Seneca to follow him to the main podium that normally held only the Head Gamemaker. He zoomed in on the camera that was locked onto the couple and smirked as Aspen finally glanced up to the favorite Tribute. Snow's eyes brightened as he looked deeply into the screen. Seneca saw the cruel smirk return to the President's face as his eyes followed every movement that Aspen made.

"It's a change in the Games, gentlemen," President Snow said, without ever letting his eyes leave the screen.

In The Arena...

The amount of time that had passed was totally unknown to me. It could have been hours, or minutes, or days, or even just seconds. I wasn't sure. I wasn't even sure that I cared. I just wanted to lay here and be left to die. Looking back I noticed that the grassy spot that Rue's body had been lying in was beginning to rise back to its normal shape. No doubt was it something that the Gamemakers had done. They wanted to erase everything that had just happened. Not that it should have been shocking.

The grass had been crushed under her weight and now it was returning to its stiff shape. It was like the Gamemakers were wiping away any memory of her. I wondered if my entire goodbye to her had been shown in the Capitol or if they had blocked it off. I shivered as Cato's hand slowly traced small patterns into my pant leg, right where it had been torn when I was burned and later stabbed a week ago. I had no idea how long we had been wrapped together like this but it didn't matter. I felt broken from Rue's death and I wanted nothing more than to just curl up and die.

My throat felt like it had been stuffed with cement. Maybe I had screamed when she had died. I couldn't really remember. Maybe I had screamed afterwards when I'd been mourning her. Maybe I hadn't heard my own cries. My right ear was completely useless. Apparently so was I. She had been my friend and I had been determined to save her. But my stupid plan had gotten her killed. Why had I even suggested it? All I'd done was screw everything up. It would have been easy for Cato to kill me right now but for some reason he didn't. He knew that I was ready to give up and he wasn't going to let me just do it.

He was slowly running his fingers through my hair and whispering different things into my ear that was still functioning. Even though it had been hours since I had blown the supplies at the Cornucopia I still couldn't hear out of my right ear. Not even the ringing. My right ear was still ringing but otherwise had almost completely come back. It was still muffled on certain words though. For the most part though I almost felt normal. My arm though was boiling from the fire that had hit me when I had blown the supplies. It had left a nasty pinkish rash over my arm and I was sure that it would make an ugly scar.

To my surprise, Cato pulled my head over to look at him and he ran the sleeve of his jacket over my face, wiping away the last of my dried tears. "Come on, stop that," he begged.

"Stop," I muttered.

"I've dealt with plenty of crying girls before but it was never for this. Please, stop," he begged.

There was a smirk on his face. For some reason it made me feel a little better. Maybe that was why he was smiling at me. To my surprise he pulled my face to his. I didn't want to fight him. For some reason I let him push out heads together and I leaned into him as he kissed me softly. Not like he could see me but I rolled my eyes at his confidence and laughed humorlessly. His lips lightly brushed over my own and I almost managed to smile as he brushed my hair off of my face. He pulled away slightly before pushing back into me and I laughed into his mouth.

Maybe that was where the love came in. Even now he could make me feel better. All my life I had never thought that I would ever find someone that I would be comfortable doing anything like this with. Gale had always made a good friend, but that was all that he was. But now I had found someone and I never wanted him to leave. He finally pulled away completely and I glanced back at the spot that Rue had been laying in not too long ago. My smile fell. Cato grabbed my face and forced me to look away from the spot.

"Stop," Cato said.

"She was just there," I muttered.

"Listen to me, Aspen. Rue knew what was going to happen to her."

"I could have stopped it."

"Maybe not. She knew she wasn't going to make it to the end. But she had thought that she would die alone. Because of you she didn't."

"She shouldn't have died at all."

"No. She shouldn't have," Cato admitted, almost surprising me. "She died with you near her. The best person she could have had. You made her as comfortable as possible in her last moments."

"She asked me to sing to her," I muttered.

"That's good. It's like falling asleep," Cato reassured me. I huffed. "What was the last thing that she said to you?"

It felt like my heart dropped. It had been something that I could only promise her. But it was a promise that I could never make come true. "She wanted me to be with you. She wanted us to be happy together and get to enjoy life outside of the arena. But it doesn't matter Cato. We never knew each other outside of this arena and we won't ever know each other outside of the arena," I told him solemnly.

And it was the truth. We would never get to know each other. This was the time of our lives that we would get to know each other. In a matter of days one of us would be dead and the other would be back in their homes. I wanted to believe that we had a chance of making it out together but I knew that it was only wishful thinking. If nothing else President Snow would ensure that I died. The Hunger Games were a fight to the death until a sole Victor remained. Not even a love story would change that.

I looked back at the place that Rue had just been. "I need to move," I muttered.

Cato shook his head. "Stay here. Build up your strength," he said.

"I want to leave. I am leaving," I said stubbornly.

"Okay," Cato finally said. He got up first and helped me out of his lap. I grabbed my own bag and Rue's and let Cato grab Marvel's. The two of us started off in the opposite direction of the Cornucopia. I had a plan. "They'll be interviewing our families right now."

It was his way of trying to get me to talk. "They were going to interview Rue's before everything happened," I muttered.

He wasn't expecting that. "Stop thinking about it," he ordered.

"I can't."

Cato sighed and pressed a hand on my back. "You're getting closer to going home," he whispered.

It was soft but it was loud enough that even my less damaged ear managed to pick it up. I hadn't missed the way that he'd said that I would be the one to go home. My heart gave a painful twinge. That had been my promise. To go back home. And I would try my damnedest. We walked together through the woods. Cato was obviously just following me. He had tried to start a conversation with me a number of times but he finally gave up after about twenty minutes when he realized that I couldn't bring myself to speak. Cato took the bread from District 11 and slowly handed it to me as we walked.

As first I didn't want to eat it. I wanted to starve myself. But I remembered that it had been a present. So I started to eat it. It tasted just a little bit like home. For a long time I had to give myself a series of commands to keep myself moving. Many of them were things that were as simple as moving one foot in front of another, taking a drink of water, eating, and stopping to take breaks from the hot sun. I took my own orders by moving with slow and robotic movements.

Finally I stopped Cato to look through the packs. Rue's pack held my sleeping bag, her nearly empty water skin, a handful of nuts and roots, a bit of the rabbit, her extra socks, and her slingshot. Angrily I started sorting through Marvel's. He had several knives, two spare spearheads, a flashlight, a small leather pouch, a first-aid kit, a full bottle of water, and a pack of dried fruit. It was the dried fruit that made me ground my teeth together. Out of all he could have chosen from. To me it was a sign of extreme arrogance. Why bother to carry food when you had such a bounty back at camp?

When you would manage to kill your enemies so quickly that you would be back home before you're hungry? I could only hope that the other Careers traveled so lightly when it came to food and now were finding themselves with nothing. I would help Cato but I wanted Clove and Coral to starve. Speaking of which, my own supply was running low. I finished off the loaf from District 11 - noting that Cato didn't dare ask for any of it - and I split the last of the rabbit with Cato. He only thanked me softly. Suddenly my food was gone again. All I had left were Rue's roots and nuts, Marvel's dried fruit, and one strip of beef.

And now I had to hunt. I obediently consolidated the supplies I wanted into my pack. Cato took everything else. I concealed Marvel's knives and spearheads in a pile of rocks so that no one else could use them. I had lost my bearings what with all the wandering around I did trying to find Rue, but I tried to head back in the general direction of the stream. I knew I was on course when I came across Rue's third, unlit fire. Shortly thereafter, I discovered a flock of grooslings perched in the trees and took out three before they know what hit them. Cato looked very surprised at my quick aim.

"Good aim," he said.

"Thanks."

I returned to Rue's signal fire and start it up, not caring about the excessive smoke. "This thing smokes a lot. We should find something else," Cato said.

"It's fine," I said.

Slowly I roasted the birds and Rue's roots. I wanted them to find me. Coral and Clove. Everyone else I would take care of quickly. But the two of them... I wanted them. I wanted them dead. Who knew where they were now? Either too far to reach me or too sure this was a trick or... was it possible? Too scared of me? They knew I had the bow and arrows. They knew that I was good with knives. Perhaps they were even smart enough to know that Cato was with me now. Maybe they didn't want to challenge him.

It wouldn't be Finch. She was far too smart. Thresh was on the other side of the arena. I doubted that they would think Peeta had lit this signal fire. Cato was sure he was as good as dead anyways. If it wasn't me that won I would have wanted Cato to go back to the Capitol and see exactly what I'd done for Rue. If he won the Games, he would see me during the Closing Ceremony, when they replayed the highlights of the Games on a screen over the stage where we did our Interviews. The winner sat in a place of honor on the platform, surrounded by their support crew.

But I told Rue that I would be there. For both of us. And somehow that seemed even more important than the vow I gave Prim. I really did think that I stood a chance of doing it now. Winning. It wasn't just having the arrows or outsmarting the Careers a few times, although those things helped. Something had happened when I was holding Rue's hand, watching the life drain out of her. Now I was determined to revenge her, to make her loss unforgettable, and I could only do that by winning and thereby making myself unforgettable.

"This is one of the piles you used to draw us out," Cato said.

"Yes."

"Aspen... What are you doing?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Waiting for one of your friends," I said.

"This is the wrong time."

"Why not? You hunted Tributes the first night. I'm doing it now."

"Not while you're like this," Cato said.

"Like what?" I asked harshly.

"Hurting... Wait it out. Tomorrow. Just not today," Cato said softly.

For a while I hesitated by the fire. Cato kept watch over the woods. Obviously he was thinking that someone would come to attack us. For a long time I ignored his advice about putting the fire out. I overcooked the birds hoping that someone would show up to shoot, but no one ever did. Maybe the other Tributes were out there beating one another senseless. Which would be fine. Ever since the Bloodbath, I had been featured on screens more than I cared for.

Eventually I wrapped up the food and went back to the stream to replenish my water and gather some more. But the heaviness from the morning draped back over me. It wasn't that late. I shouldn't have been tired. But I couldn't help it. Even though it was only early evening, I started to climb a tree to settle in for the night. Cato grabbed me and pulled me into the underbrush instead. I numbly followed him. I assumed that it was too hard for him to be up in the trees. My brain started to replay the events from today. I kept seeing Rue speared and my knife killing Marvel. I shouldn't care about him.

Along with other statistics they report to help people place their bets, every Tribute had a list of kills. Marvel was now added to mine. The District 9 female, District 7 male, Jason, the District 8 female, and Marvel would be on mine. I guessed that technically I would get credited for Glimmer for dumping that nest on them. There might have been some other kills that I would have been credited for too. Sometimes it was hard to tell. I would also have been credited for the wolf mutt.

Cato laid back on the brush with me settled back on his chest in between his legs. The Panem anthem played and I glanced up. Marvel's face was shown first and I cringed. Just one more dead Tribute. Ethan's face was shown next. Cato's face displayed no emotion. Finally Rue's face came and I looked away. Cato's hands gently stroked my hair to try and calm me down.

"Goodnight, Aspen," Cato whispered. I didn't respond.

Sometimes when things were particularly bad, my brain would give me a happy dream. Getting to sit in a home with my mother and father and speak to them for the first time. Hunting with Katniss and Gale out in the woods of District 2. A visit with Katniss's father in the woods. An hour of sunlight and cake with Prim. They were some of the best memories that I wished that I had. But I never would. It was almost just a cruel reminded of what this world was like.

Tonight it sent me Rue. She was still decked in her flowers, perched in a high sea of trees, trying to teach me to talk to the Mockingjay's. I saw no sign of her wounds, no blood, just a bright, laughing girl. She sang songs I had never heard in a clear, melodic voice. On and on. Through the night. There was a drowsy in-between period when I could hear the last few strains of her music although she was lost in the leaves. When I fully awakened, I was momentarily comforted. I tried to hold on to the peaceful feeling of the dream, but it quickly slipped away, leaving me sadder and lonelier than ever.

At least Cato was still holding onto me. His arms were tight around my body as he slowly woke up. Heaviness infused my whole body, as if there was liquid lead in my veins. I had mostly lost the will to do the simplest tasks, to do anything but lie here, staring unblinkingly through the canopy of leaves. For several hours, I remained motionless. It was so early in the morning that Cato was still dead asleep. As usual, it was the thought of Prim's anxious face as she watched me on the screens back home that broke me from my lethargy.

So I turned over and gently woke up Cato. His eyes barely peeled open. "Good morning," he muttered.

I tried to force a smile on my face. "Morning," I whispered.

He pressed a kiss against my forehead. Slowly I moved my hand up his torso. His muscles were contracting with every time that I touched him. It was somewhat amusing. I was trying to do anything that I could to make him smile, and, in turn, me. As I got to his lower chest I felt a small metal object under the shirt. I reached around his neck and realized that he had a chain hanging there. It was his token. I had almost forgotten that he would have had one too. Slowly I pulled the chain back so that it rose out of his shirt. I tilted my head when I realized that it was a pretty golden locket.

It was too pretty to be here. I held it softly in my hand, confident that whatever it was, it meant something to him, and turned it over in my hand. It had a J carved on one side and an S carved on the other. His breath caught as I moved my hand to the lock and I made my movements as slow as possible. Gently I pushed at the lock down and went to open it. But just as the small golden necklace opened Cato snapped it back shut. He grabbed it back and went to tuck it back in his shirt but before he could I grabbed his hand back and looked him in the eye.

"It's private," he snapped.

Almost immediately I saw the guilt. He didn't want to speak to me like that after everything that had happened. But obviously he didn't want me to see it either. His eyes had darkened and I rolled my eyes at him. He used to terrify me and at times he still did. But after what had just happened, nothing scared me. I would have been fine with death. I just knew that it wouldn't come from him. Laughing at his stupid way of trying to intimidate me I grabbed one of his hands and laced my fingers through his own.

"Please?"

"No," Cato said, softer this time.

"Come on, I just want to see what kind of token a guy like you could have brought into the arena," I said.

"What did you think it would be?" Cato asked.

"A vial of blood," I said.

He stared at me for a moment before laughing. Even the corner of my lips quirked upwards. It was just a joke but I wouldn't have been surprised if that had been his token. "Remember? I'm not what you were expecting," he said.

"No. You aren't," I whispered.

He finally sighed and let go of the locket. I took it from him a moment later and gently pried it open again. He watched me closely as I gazed into it. There were two pictures that sat on each side of the locket and I smiled. On the right side was a girl with long red hair. I grimaced at the memory of the searing pain from the fire and sighed. She had blue highlights in it and what looked to be a natural blonde. She had light blue eyes. I thought back to when Cato had told me about his family. He didn't have a sister around his age but he did have a sister-in-law. Was it her? She was slim but strong-looking and evidently tall.

She looked like a typical District 2 girl. I wondered briefly if she was Carrie. But she didn't look old enough and the S that was carved on the outside told me that she wasn't. I glanced over to the other side of the locket and looked at the girl that was in that picture. She had long blonde hair just a few shades darker than my own. She had bright blue eyes too, just like Cato's. The girl seemed to be a little younger than me and looked like she had trained for the Games. She too looked like she was relatively tall. I guessed that it was a trait that most District 2 people had. Both were clearly from well off-families.

"They're pretty. Who are they?" I asked Cato.

He looked down at the pictures of the girls with a fond smile. It made something stir in my gut. Something that deeply annoyed me. For the briefest of moments I thought that they might be girls that he was in love with, but I quickly realized that it was a stupid thought. If they were girls that he was in love with, they probably weren't overly fond of him now.

"The girl on the right is Skye. The one on the left is Julie. They're two of my best friends back in District 2," Cato explained.

"They are?" I asked.

"Annoyed that they're girls?" Cato asked, picking up on my irritable nature over the pictures.

"Surprised that they're not burly guys," I said, half-truthfully.

"I have plenty of friends. Girls and guys. They're just my two closest. Isn't your best friend a guy?" Cato asked.

Now who's the jealous one? I didn't miss the hint of jealousy in his voice. "One is," I said.

"If I get back I'll flatten Julie if she tries to volunteer," he said.

He might not have noticed but I didn't miss him say if he gets back. It seemed that day after day he was becoming less confident. I didn't blame him. "She's waiting until she's eighteen?" I asked.

"Yeah. Skye almost came here with me. Took me weeks but I talked her out of it. She tried to talk me out of coming here but I didn't listen. You know, in a way I'm glad I didn't listen to her," he said.

There was a small smile on his face. Smiling slightly, I pulled him into me and gave him a quick kiss. "Your girlfriends seem nice," I teased.

He nudged me gently. "Nicer than you," he said.

"That's not hard. So I guess that's the real reason why Clove is here and not someone older. You refused to let Skye come into the Games," I reasoned. Cato nodded. "But why would you let Clove? I thought the two of you were friends. You didn't try to talk her out of it?"

He laughed loudly and shook his head. "You aren't as smart as you think you are," he said.

That was uncalled for. I slapped him in the chest. His laughter only grew and I rolled my eyes at him. Leave it to Cato to ruin a nice moment. He finally let me slide off of his lap and I did so, still keeping my body pressed against his. I used to do the same to Gale when I was upset. It had just always made me feel better.

"Clove was never exactly the friendly type," Cato said.

"Shocking."

Cato smirked. "She always said that she refused to make friends until after she became a Victor. It wasn't hard for us to realize that we would have to fight each other. We were born and bred to not care if one or the other died," he said.

I grimaced at the words. It was weird to see how little he cared for her even though the two were seemingly friends. Shaking my head at him, I gently closed the locket and twisted it around my fingers. It was funny watching how closely Cato watched me, making sure that I didn't break it. I wouldn't. I knew what it meant to him. I let the locket drop to his chest and he slipped it back into his shirt. I followed the outline of the necklace and laughed as he puffed his chest out slightly.

"Okay, fine. Tell me more about Julie and Skye. It clearly takes a lot to win your affection. So what did they do, Mr. Hadley?" I asked.

There was a cheesy grin on my face. I heard him scoff at me and I rolled my eyes as he stood and looked down at me. He offered me a hand and I took it happily. He easily lifted me from the ground and the two of us made our way out of the small field that we had slept in. I wasn't sure if he was heading somewhere in particular or if he just wanted me away from the spot that I had tried to draw Coral and Clove to.

"I've known them both since we were kids. Skye is just a couple weeks younger than you. She's skilled. But I'm pretty sure you could kill her," Cato said.

I hoped that wherever she was, she wasn't watching. For a District 2 citizen that had to hurt to hear. "I'm sure she appreciated that," I said.

"I don't hold back when it comes to them. She used to like the Games, just like me, but then they took her brother. She doesn't have the best of families. Her sister is a Victor though," he said.

It must have been one of the Games that I had watched. But there were a number where the Victor had been a girl from District 2. Skye seemed like she was a good enough person to me. The girl in the picture was happy but I understood that she couldn't have been. She had lost her brother to the Games and her sister too. Her sister may be a Victor but that only meant that physically she was there. Mentally she was somewhere totally different. I knew what it was like to lose the people that meant the most to you in these Games.

"That's one down. Now tell me about Julie," I told Cato softly.

He looked up at me with a wide grin. He smoothed down his shirt as we walked and he zipped his jacket back up. "She's almost two years younger than me. I met her at the Academy. Nearly took her head off," he said.

I let out a bark of laughter. "What happened?" I asked.

"She was trying to come to the sword section and stepped too close to where I was swinging my sword."

It made me laugh. "At least you didn't," I said.

"That's true. She likes to screw around but she's pretty serious about her training. Like I said, she wants to volunteer. She didn't bother to try and stop me. She's got two older sisters and then her parents. They don't live too far from me," Cato said.

He could tell that his words had gotten to me and he prodded me gently. "It must be nice for her, having a family. She sounds lucky to me," I muttered.

Unfortunately I would always be a little bitter about the loss of my parents to the Games. Cato sighed and grabbed my hip, squeezing it gently before letting his hand fall back to the hilt of his sword. I sighed as we walked and shook my head. I had to think of something other than the loss of my family. It was driving me insane.

"So tell me," I started. Cato glanced over to me. "You claim to be a gift to mankind, well, women. How do they ignore your charms?" I asked, poking him in the ribs.

Immediately his straight face turned up into a smirk. "They don't," he said.

My head snapped over to him in surprise. "What?" I asked.

"They'll both swear up and down that they have no feelings for me but I know that they do. I like them both but I couldn't ever do anything with them. They're like sisters," he said.

I nodded slowly at him. They probably really appreciated him saying that on national television where all of Panem could hear him. There was still one thing that was weighing on my mind and I wondered if it would be worth asking him or not. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to hear the answer, but the curiosity was eating at me.

"Hey, Cato," I called.

"Yeah?"

As he towered over me I wondered if Skye or Julie were as short as I was. "Remember when I was stabbed and burned? We were in the cave," I said.

"It's just been a few days," Cato teased.

"Shut up. You were fixing up my thigh and you were teasing me about -" I cut myself off as my face heated up. His eyes widened and he smirked brightly. I shook myself clear of my thoughts and took a deep breath. "You never said anything about it but clearly you aren't... that," I finished awkwardly.

"You'd be right," he said.

He was clearly enjoying my discomfort. "Was it either of them?" I asked quickly, before I lost my nerve.

For a while he just walked with a dark smirk on his face and I thought that he was going to ignore my question. Maybe I shouldn't have asked. Actually I knew that I shouldn't have asked. I'd never thought about the fact that his mother was likely watching this. She definitely didn't want to hear what her son did with girls when she wasn't watching. I sighed deeply and walked besides him silently. Just as I began to forget about my question he snorted and shook his head.

"What makes you think that there was only one?" he asked.

His smirk was back. "You're disgusting," I snapped.

I began to walk ahead briskly. He quickly caught up and caught me by the arm. "Come on, I just wanted to see what you'd say," he said.

"Were you surprised?"

"No. There was more than one but it was never either of them. Just girls at the Academy that didn't mean anything."

"That's romantic," I said.

"I knew someone would mean something one day. I just wasn't concerned with it at the time. They were just something fun," he said.

"It must have been nice to have the luxury of fun," I said.

Cato looked a little guilty and I almost felt bad. "It's nice to find someone worth it," he muttered.

My face went a brilliant red. The people in the Capitol were likely thrilled with what he'd just said. "I'm honored," I said teasingly.

Anything to lighten the air. "I couldn't do anything like that with either of them. I'd probably just laugh," he said.

My jaw nearly dropped. With everything that I had been thinking about Gale during these Games I would have never dared to say anything like that out loud. I grunted at him and shook my head. How could he say something like that about his friends? I shook my head and he merely laughed. Slowly I glanced through the trees a low mechanic hissing made me turn to my right. I saw the tip of a camera that was attempting to blend in with the trees and I smirked. Part of me hadn't wanted the two girls to be watching but now I hoped that they were.

"If he for some reason makes it back home and I don't, kill him," I said to the camera, hoping that the two girls knew that I was addressing them.

Cato laughed and pulled me into him. I grimaced and moved out of his grip and he caught me again. He slowly pushed me back into a tree and I felt my breath catch. "I love them both but it could never be anything like that. Anything like this," he said. I smiled. "You wanted to know why I never left you alone?"

"Of course," I said.

It had been the one thing that had bothered me from the beginning. "You never let me have what I wanted. You didn't listen to me. You did what you wanted to and you constantly fought me. They always did what I asked them. I like someone that puts up a fight," he said.

"That's charming," I said.

He gave me a low smirk as he pushed himself into me. My back dug against the tree but I ignored the pain. Right before he met my lips there was a soft screech and both Cato and I launched off of the tree. My hand shot to my bow and Cato's to his sword. But it was just an announcement. They were likely inviting us to a feast. They had them sometimes when the bloody deaths had gone down and the arena was getting quiet. Sometimes there really was a feast and sometimes it was nothing but a loaf of stale bread for the Tributes to compete for. I wouldn't go in for the food, but it could be an ideal time to take out a few competitors.

"Attention Tributes. Attention!" Claudius Templesmith's voice boomed over the many hidden speakers in the arena. Cato and I turned to each other confusedly waited for him to continue. "Congratulations to the seven remaining Tributes. We would like to announce a change of rules."

Both Cato and I had only been paying half-attention before. But now we were both wide awake and staring at each other. He wasn't inviting us to a feast. He was saying something very confusing. There was a change in the rules in the Games. A rule change… That in itself was mind bending enough since we didn't really have any rules to speak of except that we don't step off our circles for sixty seconds and the unspoken rule about not eating one another.

"The regulations required a single Victor has been... suspended! From now on, two Victors maybe crowned if both Tributes are of the opposite gender. This will be the only announcement," he said before the speakers shut off.

The announcement had been simple, but it didn't quite register. It took me at least two minutes before I finally completely comprehended what he had just said. But even then it didn't really make sense. It felt like I was trying to copy recipe and I was missing an ingredient. Was that real? Had they really just said that two people could go home? Two people... Not one. The rule was done. The Games had just faced their biggest change. Judging by the look on Cato's face I figured that I hadn't just made it up in my head.

As long as one was a male and the other was a female. My odds were suddenly much better. Everyone's were. I did a quick Tribute count in my head and thought it out. Including me there was four females left. A twenty-five percent chance of going home. Including Cato there were three males. A thirty-three percent chance of winning. The odds had suddenly shifted in our favor. We could do this. We could go home. I thought back to when Finch had told me that they would let two people win and I smiled. She had been telling me the truth.

"Aspen," Cato muttered.

"Two people can win as long as one is male and the other is female. Cato," I whispered.

It was like if we spoke too loudly the air would have broken and they would have come back over the speakers and told us that it was a big joke. But the longer that we sat staring at each other the more that I realized that this wasn't a trick. We would be able to win together. I was sure that the Capitol was beside themselves. They would have their Star-Crossed Lovers. But that wasn't what I was thinking. I would get to come home in mostly one piece. Because Cato would be with me.

"We can win this," I muttered.

"We're going to win," Cato said, almost disbelieving.

Suddenly elation sank into my chest for the first time since Rue had died. "We can win it together! We can both go home!" I yelled, jumping into his arms.

Immediately I tried to quiet myself. There would be others that would start fighting even harder to live. For the first time I heard him laugh honestly as he spun me. My weight had been more than he was expecting as we went crashing into the ground, rolling over and laughing. Cato rolled over and grabbed my hips to pull me into him for a deep kiss. I laughed into his chest as he let me go and smiled brightly. The two of us sat up, pressed against each other. Everything that we had worried about was over. We could win this. Neither one of us would have to leave without the other.

"You know why they did this, right?" Cato asked.

"Of course," I said, smiling.

"For us. They want to see us both go home. Together," he said, with a smile.

"We will," I said.

The two of us laughed breathlessly again. These entire Games had been filled with bad luck for me. This was the first time that it seemed like I might have been having some good luck. And it made up for every inch of bad luck that I'd had before this. With the exception of Rue. We both stood together for a while, smiling foolishly at the announcement. I turned back to Cato after a moment and saw that he had sobered. He turned to me with a serious look and I cocked my head at him.

"What?" I asked.

"Come on, we have hunting to do," he said.

Of course. I'd almost forgotten. To get home meant that we would have to get rid of the rest of the Tributes. I felt my heart sink. Sure they had told us that we could go home together. But that meant that we had five more Tributes to get rid of. For the most part I really didn't want to hurt any of them. But there were two that I was looking forward to. I was going to butcher Clove and Coral and then I would win. It was time to end this thing.

In District 2...

Hundreds of miles away in District 2 the air was buzzing with excitement at the latest revelation in the arena. They all knew that far away from here, District 12 was in the same state of glee. Their Tributes would come home. It wasn't guaranteed yet but they all knew. Aspen and Cato were the strongest and most loved of the Tributes. And in hopefully less than a week the two would be making their homecoming. Two girls walked through the Square of District 2 together and both sighed when they saw the screen that was projecting the Games.

Both of the girls had always harbored feelings for Cato Hadley and now all of Panem knew that they did too. As the two girls walked together they felt the pang of sorrow for their missing friend. The pair would never know that they shared the same bond that Katniss Everdeen, Gale Hawthorne, and Aspen Antaeus had. Friends that would stand by each other no matter what.

Skye respected Aspen for everything that she had done in the Games and found her funny. She was rather charming for a girl from District 12. They were normally shy and awkward and weak. But she wasn't. She actually acted more like she was from District 2 than District 12. She was a good girl. That much Skye could tell. But she didn't really want her to get to go home. It was for mostly selfish reasons. She had been brave to volunteer for her best friend's sister and had protected the little girl until the end. She was a good fighter and had a strong head on her shoulders.

If they really did get to come back together Skye wanted to speak with Aspen. She wanted to know the girl that had come from District 12 not the creature that the Capitol had molded. But on the other hand she knew that if Aspen came back then Cato would start to pull away from her slightly. She had been with him for almost all of his life and she loved him more than anything. For most of the time she thought that he was nothing more than a brotherly figure but right before he had left she realized that he meant more to her than that. She loved him.

It was bad timing on her part. Although it wasn't as bad of timing as Aspen had. It was the one thing that made Skye smile. At least there was someone even less intelligent when it came to timing than she was. Skye wanted nothing more than for him to come back and the two of them to move forward with their relationship. They would be together. She knew that. She had always known that. It was like the trainers had once said. They made an effective team.

But his happiness meant more to her than her own did. And if Aspen was the one that made him happy then so be it. She was shocked that Cato had fallen for the Tribute, as she had always complained about the District 12 Tributes. He had always said that they were the weakest and there was no point in even putting them into the Games. Now that she thought about it, it was rather funny that he fell in love with the girl from District 12. Throughout most of the Games Skye had thought that he was just attracted to the pretty face but now she realized that he really did love her.

Julie was slightly younger than the other girl, but she was no less intelligent. In fact she was probably even brighter. She had always been one of the smartest people in her District. She knew that her one true friend had harbored feelings for their best friend. She knew it as well as the other girl knew about her own feelings. They had always known about the other but had decided that it was an unspoken agreement that neither one would be upset when Cato finally chose in the end. Julie was always confident that Cato would chose her in the end.

Throughout the years she and Cato had always trained together. They were unstoppable in the Academy. She had never been able to beat Cato and had been astounded when she had heard the rumor that Aspen had nearly beaten him in training. It took someone extremely talented to beat Cato. She seemed to be quite talented. The girl had even managed to score a twelve in training, something that no other Tribute had ever scored. Even Cato had only gotten a ten. Julie couldn't help but wonder what exactly it was that she had done in training.

There were lots of things that the two girls from District 2 wanted to know about the girl that had caught the attention of their best friend. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with the girl but it infuriated Julie at how easily she had won over Cato. He was a tough guy. They both knew that. It had taken Cato months to open up to Julie and even longer with Skye. And their relationship was still rather simple. It wasn't like she exactly knew everything that had gone on between the Tributes since Cato had been gone, but still, Julie had been there for everything with Cato.

Aspen had only been there for a few weeks. She didn't hate Aspen. Actually she was glad that he had found someone that he seemed to genuinely love. It was something that he had always lacked whenever he found a new girl. He would use them for fun for a while but then he would grow bored of them. It was something that Julie didn't see happening with Aspen. It had always hurt her whenever she saw Cato leave with some nameless girl from the Academy when she was right there but she had always figured that one day he would realize that she was right there.

Both girls sighed as they walked through the end of the Square and hit the residential sector. Skye only lived a few doors down from Cato but she had left her home earlier to go get Julie, who lived on the other side of the Square. Both girls were well off and had plenty of friends. Something that made them differ from Aspen. They knew that she came from almost nothing. She was taken in by her best friend's mother and Aspen now lived alone in something that looked like a shack. She had lost her parents to the Games years before. That was something both Skye and Julie pitied her for. She hadn't had the easiest of lives.

It was common knowledge that many residents of District 12 died from starvation and it looked that Aspen may have been on her way for a while. She gad been bone thin when she'd come into the Capitol. She was back to being as thin as she was before being in the arena. But she still had a good figure to her and she was nothing short of a beauty. They could both see why he was attracted to her in the first place. She was considered one of the prettiest Tributes to have ever been Reaped into the arena. And she was tougher than nails too. She had gone through things that would have killed most other Tributes.

The large grey house that was home to the Hadley family stood in front of them and Skye walked up to knock softly on the door. Normally the pair would just walk in but with Cato gone and the family under a lot of stress, they figured that it would be safer to go with the formality. A moment later the girls heard a loud commotion coming from inside the home and then the door swung open. Alana Hadley, the matriarch of the family, stood in the doorway and smiled at the two girls that she considered daughters.

"Good afternoon, ladies," Alana greeted.

"Hi, Alana," Skye said.

"Hey," Julie greeted.

"Come on in."

Alana sidestepped so that the two girls could come through. They walked in through the doorway and smiled at the large family that was running throughout the house, causing spilled drinks and tipped food trays, as well as a few broken plates. Damien Hadley was running after his youngest children, trying to stop the reigning chaos. He looked like he was about to lose his mind at the sight of his family running rampant. He only stopped for a moment to say hello to the two girls.

"Julie. Skye. How are you?" he asked.

"Better now," Julie said.

"I understand," Damien said.

"I see we interrupted the celebration," Skye said, giggling.

Damien growled under his breath and started chasing his kids around the house again. Dean and his wife, Carrie, were both laughing together, Dean nearly in tears. He had been so afraid that he would lose his brother, his best friend, but now it was sure that he would get to come home to them. They would get their boy back. The only other mother in the room came running up to the girls and pulled them in for a hug before laughing and running back to her husband.

Carrie had always been fond of both Skye and Julie, as the two were perfectly nice girls, but she knew that Cato was best off with Aspen. He needed someone that had been through something just as terrible as he had and that had a strong sense of what should and should not be done. For most of their lives the two girls had loved the Games and it was something that had always unnerved Carrie. She thought that it was a good thing that Cato had found someone who hated them more than anything. But still, she loved the two girls like sisters.

Aidan came tearing through the room next, shouting wildly about how Cato was coming back. He was probably the most excited about the news that the two would be able to leave the arena together. He wanted his big brother back. He missed having someone go out and train with him. It wasn't for sure yet that he would be coming back but everyone knew that he was definitely heading back. There was no way. He had nothing to hold him back. He was going to get the one thing that he wanted that would have stopped him from winning before.

Cato was strong and with Aspen he was even better. She stopped him from making foolish choices in the arena and so far she had saved his life once. He loved his brother and couldn't wait to play fight with him again. That was always one of their favorite things to do. Leah came sprinting out of her room and bounded into the arms of Julie, who smiled and picked the young girl up. She wrapped her arms around her older friend and giggled into her ears. And not even a moment later Marley came running through her parents legs to jump into Skye's arms.

The two girls laughed at the storm of people dashing through the house and shouting gleefully. It was one of the nicest sights that either one of the girls had seen in the few weeks since Cato had been gone. Normally the Hadley household was loud but it was never this disastrous. They were a big family. Everyone was used to the yelling and shouting. It was how you knew that it was just another typical day in the Hadley household. But it was never this loud. Damien never looked like he was about to lose his mind over his children's excitement.

Aidan dashed through the television area and Damien ran to it to catch the screen before it fell. Everyone was laughing. The screen was broadcasting Aspen and Cato who were laughing and celebrating the fact that they had the chance to get to go home together. With Marley still in her arms Skye glanced over at the screen and felt a pang of jealousy. Cato looked at Aspen with such love and smiled at her with a rare smile. One that even Skye had barely ever seen.

"Stop it!" Damien Hadley roared.

All of the noise that had been radiating through the house came to a halting stop. All movement in the house halted too and both Skye and Julie whipped their heads over to the man of the house. He always had commanded an astounding amount of respect. Skye began to feel Marley shake and she quickly handed the young girl over to her mother. Dean patted his daughter on the back as he moved forward to where his father was standing.

"Come on, Dad, everyone is happy," Dean said.

"I can see that," he growled.

"For a while there we were getting concerned that Cato might not get to come back. But now we know that they have the best chance of coming back," Dean told his father, walking up and grabbing the elder man's shoulder.

Dean loved his father to death but sometimes he had a knack for ruining a good mood. Julie cringed as the man that she liked to call her second father towered over his oldest son. Height ran in the Hadley family but Cato and his father were always the tallest. Cato stood just over six feet and his father stood another two inches over Cato at six foot four. Julie was tall too being at five foot seven but the men still dwarfed her.

"That does not mean that you all have to destroy my house," Damien growled at his son, before turning his angry gaze on the other eight people that were crowded in the house.

In her usual role of diffusing the tension, Alana stepped forward and placed a small hand on her husband's shoulder. She looked dainty and frail, but the scars the littered the back of her hand proved that she had once been a strong fighter. "Our house," she lightly chastised her husband, who looked embarrassed at his slip up.

With the tension having faded from the room Alana took a seat on her couch, pulling Skye and Julie with her. Carrie followed Dean to the large lounge chair that the pair squeezed in as Marley climbed onto their laps. Aidan took a seat on the floor and Leah took a spot next to him, and Damien slowly walked over to his chair.

"Ladies, how have you been?" Alana asked and both Skye and Julie's head shot up. "We've missed you both. We haven't seen you in almost two weeks. What have you both been doing this entire time?"

Julie nudged her friend to take the answer. Skye rolled her eyes and kicked the younger girl for making her answer and laughed at Julie's squawk of pain. "Sorry, Alana, we've missed you all too," Skye said.

"Of course," Julie added.

"You're our second family. But after Cato went we decided that we should give you all some time to adjust to having him gone for the time being," Skye answered, in the nicest way that she could think of.

The family was still a little sore at the loss of their son and she didn't want to upset anyone. There was always the chance that something could happen. As sweet as she always was, Carrie smiled at the two girls and moved over to scoot onto the arm of the chair.

"Well we're happy to see you both again. And, Skye, I'm glad that you didn't go into the Games. I don't know what would have happened if you had," Carrie said.

Skye felt her heart sink. She was right, what would have happened if Skye had gone into the Games? Would Cato have killed her to make sure that Aspen lived? It was an answer that she didn't want to know. "Me too," Skye mumbled.

"Anyways, Julie, you've always had a good eye about the girls that Cato hangs out with," Carrie said.

"That's just because I don't like any of them," Julie said, making the others laugh.

"What do you think about Aspen?" Carrie asked. Julie had to repress a scoff. "A non-family member's opinion would be nice."

"She's pretty," Leah said.

She was glancing over to the screen that was focused in on a chatting Aspen and Cato. They were talking about the new plan. The family all laughed at Leah's blunt honesty and nodded. As much as Julie hated to admit it, Aspen was very pretty. Julie poked the younger girl who was sitting at her feet and smiled.

"Yeah, Leah, she is," she said softly. "Honestly, Carrie, I don't really know. I'm not sure about how much we can judge about her since the Aspen Antaeus that we've seen on screen might not be the real one. I mean think about it. She's in a totally different place with people that hold her life in their hands. She's probably being a little careful with her words and actions," Julie said.

She shrugged of her shoulders. "She likely has been very careful with what she's said and done," Damien said.

It was true. Everyone could tell that everything that Aspen had said or done since she had been in the Capitol had been carefully thought out and controlled. She had seen the flashes of anger that had rolled through Aspen at a few comments, but she had been able to easily control them. The youngest son scoffed loudly and all eyes turned to him.

"Except for what she did for Rue," Aidan snapped.

His older brother quickly swatted him in the head. "Don't say that," Dean warned.

"Hey!" Aidan yelled at his brother.

Aidan rolled his eyes at his family's actions. He didn't see what the big deal was. Cato was always bringing girls around. They never meant anything to him and he would find a new one soon. Dean knew that Aidan didn't care much for Aspen, considering she had been about to sell out his brother for someone that she had barely even known.

"Watch it," Dean snapped at his brother.

Aspen seemed like a good girl and if Cato loved her, then Dean would defend her to the death. "She did something very brave with Rue," Carrie said.

Dean had realized that Cato really did love this girl. He looked at her in the same way that Dean looked at Carrie. "It's pretty obvious to see that Rue reminded Aspen of Primrose. It was hard to see the girl die before her eyes. She must be thinking that it was her fault since it was Marvel who killed her. And he was only in the area because he wanted to get to Aspen," Dean reasoned.

His wife nodded and grabbed his hand. Carrie was always the best for seeing both sides of the story. He knew that out of anyone in the room, Carrie was the fondest of Aspen. "At least she wasn't really ever going to say yes to him. She only did because she wanted to save the little girl's life. I respect that. I don't blame her for it," Carrie said.

The rest of the family nodded. She was right. Aspen had only wanted to save an innocent little girl and she was willing to do anything to do it. Even take her own life. It wasn't like she was willing to only sacrifice someone else. She was willing to sacrifice herself. There was no shame in that. The family quieted and the soft voices of Aspen and Cato sounded in the background. Uncomfortable with the silence, Skye shifted forward in her seat and looked to Carrie. If she could count on anyone to respond to her, it was Carrie.

"I liked Rue," Skye said.

"Everyone did," Julie put in.

"I wanted to root for her but we all knew that she wasn't going to make it. But Aspen made sure that she didn't die alone and afraid. She died with hope," Skye said softly.

They were all exchanging nods in the room. Silence once more fell on the family as they all thought about what Skye had said. She was right. Thankfully Aspen had proved herself to be a good person. She had saved the little girl from a slow and lonely death. She had made sure that her killer received the same fate and she had been there until she had died. Not to mention giving her the best funeral that any of them had ever seen in the Hunger Games.

"Perhaps in a few days we'll get to talk with her and see what exactly was going on in her head during all of this. She's done well so far and I don't think that she's going to be stopping any time soon," Damien said.

Julie shifted on the couch as she swung one foot up under the other but stopped when she felt a small tug at the bottom of her jeans. She glanced down and saw Leah was pointing towards the screen. "Why did they split up?" Leah asked Julie.

"What?" Julie asked, looking up.

On the screen Aspen was now walking by herself with her bow out in front of her. It looked like she was looking for something... but what? Had they heard or spotted another Tribute? A loud scoff came from the edge of the couch and every head turned to look over at Alana. She shook her head at her family and motioned to the television set.

"You all need to work on your listening skills. They went for a hunt. Not that Cato knows how to hunt, but if it makes him feel better," Alana said with a shrug.

She loved her son and knew that he would do well in the Games, but she had always wished that he had known more survival skills. She had known that he couldn't survive on just Sponsor gifts. "Cato's useless with hunting," Skye said.

"At least Aspen knows," Alana sighed.

The family turned their heads from the screen and went back to speaking with each other. Dean's hand dropped down to where he used to hang his sword and he sighed. Some part of him missed the fighting and the satisfaction of being a winner, but he would always give it up if it meant that he could be with Carrie. He loved her more than anything and he wasn't willing to leave her to go to the Games.

"How do you think she learned to hunt so well?" Dean asked the others.

There was no Academy in District 12 but she had to have learned somehow. "Something illegal," Julie said.

Carrie smiled at Dean before leaning over to give him a kiss. "Maybe you'll get to ask her soon," Carrie said.

She pulled away from him a moment later. Her daughter smiled up at her and Aidan let out a groan of disgust. The family all laughed as the youngest boy in the room shook his head in disgust at his family members. He had always been good to make the rest of them laugh. He was so much like a child it was hard to imagine that one day it would be very likely that he would be in the arena. Just like his big brother. The laughter in the room quieted though when Julie piped up.

"Hey you guys," she said out loud.

The entire family turned to her. "What?" Skye asked.

"What is that Cato's holding?" Julie asked, staring at the television set.

All eyes shot to the screen as the nine of them tried to figure out what it was that Cato was holding. He was down on his knees and holding his hands out. It looked like he was cupping something but the cameras were focused to his back. Time after time the camera angle changed but no matter where the Gamemakers moved it there was no way to see what it was that he was holding. Finally after a few minutes he shifted just so slightly so that the viewers were able to see what it was that he was holding. Julie and Skye both cocked their head in confusion but Damien immediately knew what it was.

"No..."

Back In The Arena...

The celebration of the fact that Cato and I had a chance to get out of the arena together was over and now the final thoughts began. There weren't many of us left so once one more Tribute died it wouldn't be long before the rest fell. It wasn't like I necessarily wanted to hunt down the remaining Tributes but I was ready to go home. Although I might enjoy Coral and Clove. Now I was willing to do anything to get back to Prim, Katniss, and Gale. I was going to get to see them again. I swung an arrow around in my hands and I turned to Cato, who was scratching at the hilt of his sword.

"So we have to figure out what we do now. Do we know where anyone is right now?" he asked.

"Some of them," I said.

None of the Tribute locations I knew for sure, but I could always make a guess. Although I didn't want to drive us in circles. And I really didn't feel like having another encounter with the wolf mutt. "What do you know?" Cato asked.

"We know that Clove and Coral are over by the Cornucopia. They'll be getting hungry by now," I said. "Can Clove hunt?"

"Not really. We don't have to worry about that. She's not good enough," Cato said.

Coral probably knew how to fish but I wasn't sure if she had anything that she could fish with. If she had I had most likely destroyed it. "They probably lost their Sponsors too. We both know that now they want us to win," I said.

"That's true. We could wait to starve them out but they won't."

"Why not?"

It might take a few more days but they would dehydrate soon. Although in those few days we risked the Gamemakers setting a mutt on us. But then again a fight with them could very well cost either of our lives. Clove was a good knife thrower and I knew that Coral was pretty talented with a spear. They would be a match for us.

"They didn't lose all of their Sponsors. There are still plenty of people that want either of them to live. We should attack them," he said.

Every fight that I had been in with a Tribute had been because they had attacked me. I had never gone looking for a fight and the thought made me a little nervous. Although I would have Cato with me, and he wasn't one for losing fights. And I was looking forward to getting some more vengeance for everything that the Careers had done to me.

"Sure thing. We should save them for last. Let's take the weaker Tributes first," I suggested softly.

Cato nodded at me. "Which ones?" he asked.

"We know where two of them are. I know that Thresh is in the wheat field. I'm not sure if he's moved yet though. Peeta I think is down by the river," I said, feeling guilty for giving him away. "Finch is fast. The only person who can even keep up with her is me. We'd have the best luck setting a trap for her," I said, the guilt once more wracking through me.

Cato wrapped an arm around me as he noticed my discomfort. He stopped our walking and turned so that he was staring down at me into my eyes. "I know that you don't want to do this," Cato said.

"Of course not. But I want to go home more."

"You're right. But they're your friends. I know. We have to do this. It means that we get to leave."

"Doesn't make it feel better."

"Just don't think about it, okay? I'll be right there if you can't bring yourself to do it," he said.

"I'll manage. But thanks."

"Alright. So far so good. Can you set the trap?"

"I got it."

"Good. I'll leave that up to you. What about Thresh? I can take him, but I'll need your help," he said.

"Okay."

That was one of the few that I really didn't want to deal with. Thresh was a friend of mine and I had once told him that I would help him. But I had to help Cato take care of him. It was the only way that we would both be able to go home. Cato had a family that wanted him home, and so did I. I just had to think about our families.

"Leave Coral to me," I snarled.

He looked over at me in shock. I shrugged my shoulders and began walking again. "Are you sure?" Cato asked.

"She's got short distance weapons and I have long. I can take her easily. If I can sneak up on them I can take Clove out first. That leaves just Peeta," I said sadly.

Cato noticed that I was uncomfortable with the thought of the death of my District partner. He grabbed my shoulder. "I'll take care of him," he said softly.

I nodded my thanks at him. He began walking again and a thought rang through my head. "Cato?" I called.

He turned back, waiting for me to catch up with him before he started walking again. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yes. But for everyone. Please make it fast. We've all suffered enough. No one needs any more suffering," I said.

"Of course."

"Thank you. We should start taking care of everyone tomorrow. The Capitol is slowly moving all of the animals and berries out of the arena. They want this over with soon."

Carefully I slipped a knife out of my holster that hung on my waist and handed it over. He nodded at me and took it carefully from me before slipping it into his pants. "So let's make a quick hunt," he said.

I smiled, glad that he had realized what I was trying to get him to do. "Do you actually know how to hunt?" I asked.

"Gotta be a time to learn, right?"

"Sure. Good luck," I said, laughing.

He wouldn't catch anything. "You take the right and I take the left?" he asked.

"Works for me."

"Meet back here soon."

The two of us walked towards each other and I quickly pressed my lips against his. I had faith that I would be fine but I wanted to give him a kiss. Just in case something did happen. We stayed together for a moment before I separated from him. Once more I nodded before walking past him and heading to the thicker part of the woods. This was the harder part to stay around anyways. It would be easier for him to try and hunt in the less wooded areas.

I wondered if there was any chance that I would even find anything out here. Lately the Gamemakers had taken nearly all of the edible plants and animals out of the arena, probably hoping to starve out the weaker Tributes that remained. The squirrel that I had caught for Rue and I had just been dumb luck. I cringed at the memory of Rue lying motionless in the grass and sighed deeply. I would miss the little girl for the rest of my life. She had been so young and hadn't even gotten the chance to live. I was going to lay down my life for her. I was going to protect her. But the only thing I had done was get her killed.

Shaking my head clear of my thoughts I pushed my arrow onto my bow and waited for anything to cross my path. The grass had dried here from the lack of rain in the arena and I knew that every little movement I made would scare off any animals. So I stood still and listened for any sign of any life in the area. As I waited for any movement I thought back to District 12 and wondered what everyone back home was thinking.

Prim was probably ecstatic with the thought that I had fallen in love and I would get to come home with him. But I hoped that she knew that I might not come home. I still only had about a twenty-five percent chance of winning. Katniss was probably watching the screen closely, making sure that Cato made no sudden moves. She was probably screaming on the inside though, thrilled with the thought that I might be coming back. Gale, though. He was probably torn. I had a good chance of winning now. But it meant that I would most likely come back with Cato. And I knew that he was not fond of the blonde haired Tribute.

I sighed deeply, hoping that my friends would still love me if I got back when there was a small chirp. My eyes widened as I searched the area for the bird. It wouldn't be much but it was better than nothing. I looked around for a moment and smirked when I saw a bright blue feather out of the corner of my eye. I whipped around and fired the arrow without really knowing what was in the thick of the bushes. But there was a soft thump and I slowly walked over to see the arrow was sticking out of a large bird. A quail, maybe? It didn't matter. It was food.

Smiling brightly I began to walk back to where Cato and I were supposed to meet up. He may have been better than me at most fighting skills but I dominated in survival skills. His only went as far as making a fire and he had minor knowledge on how to prepare an animal. I walked back to where we had left each other and glanced out in the field. Not far from me Cato was sitting on the ground with his feet tucked under him. He was facing away from me with his hands cupped. I slowly walked up to him as he raised something to his face. I had no idea what it was that he was holding but as I got closer it suddenly hit me.

"Cato! Don't eat those!" I shouted, smacking the food from his hands.

Cato glanced up and stared at me like I had lost my head. "What the hell are you doing? It's a damn blueberry!" he shouted.

"It is not!"

"That was the only food that I found and that bird is hardly anything!" he yelled.

Shocked by how stupid he was being I very nearly punched him in the face. But I had a feeling that he wouldn't appreciate it. I dropped the bird at his feet and dropped down next to him. He tried to go pick the berries up but I grabbed him and pulled him back to me. He looked like he was about to punch me but I wasn't going to give up.

"That's Nightlock!" I screamed.

He cocked his head at me. I groaned and had to resist slapping him across the face. "I don't know what that is," Cato said, softer this time.

"This is why you stupid Careers die from simple things! Remember when Atala said not to ignore the survival skills during training?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he muttered.

"This is why! You'd be dead if I was a second later! I'm not one for remembering berries either but I know that one. It's called Nightlock and it's the most lethal thing in here! It'll kill you in six seconds. The Gamemakers have been spreading them out across the arena in hopes that someone will be foolish enough to eat one," I said.

Shock and fear crossed his face at the thought that he had been so close to dying. He stared back at the berries before looking back to me. "You're sure?" he asked.

They looked almost exactly like blueberries but they were darker. It was where the Night in the name had come from. "It's the only berry that I'm sure about in here," I said.

"They're moving the Death Match closer. I'm sorry, Aspen. I thought that it was a blueberry. That's what it looks like."

"I know. They make it that way. You have to be careful, damn it. That could have killed you," I said softly.

He grabbed my face and pulled me to him. I shuddered at the thought of how I had almost lost him. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

He stood slowly and lent me a hand to pull myself up by. "How do you think that District 2 would have reacted if their favorite Tribute died from a berry?" I teased him as I stood.

For a moment he stared at me before he finally laughed and shoved me from him. I giggled as I leaned down and grabbed the bird that I had caught before following him. He had obviously found a place for the two of us to sleep. And that was fine by me. We made our way through the woods for a moment before we found a small hollowed out area that had once been a fallen tree. It wasn't quite the cave that I liked but this was obviously a place that had been designed for Tributes to sleep. He dragged me into the small area and started on a fire.

"I think that if Julie and Skye didn't like you before they do now. Come on, let's make the damn bird," he growled.

Even though he was annoyed it made me laugh. He was such an idiot. He could have gotten himself killed. Not that he'd really known what he was doing. The two of us chatted back and forth about the beginning of the Games - where he told me about the end of the Bloodbath and his attempt to keep the Careers away from me - as he worked on the fire. The fire quickly roared to life and I was easily able to strip the bird of the feathers and cook the edible parts. It was pretty similar to a chicken so it was easy to prepare. Cato looked almost entranced as he watched me work.

Cato took the majority of the bird even though he kept offering to give me more. But I shook my head at him, insisting that since he was bigger he needed more. I quickly downed my portion of the bird and yawned as I finished off my water. I could get some more meat for us later. I would have gone out again now but it was too late and would have been stupid to tempt fate. It had been a long day and I was ready to fall asleep. I slowly slipped to the ground as Cato stamped the fire out. He leaned back against the tree and let me lay on his lap.

"Why did you take Peeta?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"At the beginning of the Games. You wanted me to stay away from the Careers. So why take someone that was offering to lead you to them?"

"How stupid do you think I am? I knew Lover Boy would bring us anywhere but to you. That's why I took him," Cato said.

"To keep the attention off of you. So if they got suspicious they had Peeta to blame," I muttered.

"Exactly. Go to sleep. I've got the first watch."

"No. I'm not tired. I've got it," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"I'll wake you up if not."

"Goodnight, Aspen."

"Goodnight, Cato. Use my sleeping bag. It's rolled up in there," I said.

When the anthem played no faces were shown. There were no deaths today. The rule change and Cato and I officially teaming up was enough to keep the audience amused. It wouldn't be for long. The temperature dropped rapidly and soon I was chilled to the bone. I was no moron. I knew what they wanted in the Capitol. They wanted me to get into the sleeping bag with Cato and play up the Star-Crossed Lovers angle. It might have even been Snow that had demanded the temperature change. Eventually I gave in and slid into the sleeping bag with Cato. It was toasty warm and I snuggled down gratefully.

It wasn't long before his arms wound around me. I knew that I was supposed to be keeping watch - and I did - but it was very hard not to fall asleep next to him. I had to keep getting up and walking around. Every half an hour I got up and did a quick walk around the area. Wherever everyone else was, they were hiding. Coral and Clove were probably trying to get some food in them before hunting me down. When the dawn finally broke I went out again, hunted down a few rabbits, and headed back to the cave where Cato was already awake.

"You were gone," Cato said.

"No cannon. Nothing to be worried about. I got us breakfast," I said.

"Good aim."

I laughed under my breath. "Thanks."

For a while we sat around and ate the rabbits. It took me a while to cook them and I was relatively cautious about making the fire. There was no doubt that we had to be careful. At least, I did. Clove and Coral would be coming with a vengeance for me. Although Cato mentioned that they both liked to hunt at night better than during the day. It meant that looking for them right now was rather useless. The wheat field would be too hard to surprise Thresh in - as he knew the area - and Finch was too fast to catch. And Peeta... I didn't want to bring myself to think about it.

So we ultimately decided to rest and heal from the few injuries that remained on us before hunting for everyone tomorrow. Gain strength today. "You didn't sleep last night. Sleep now. I'll keep watch," Cato said.

"I'm okay," I said, even though I really was exhausted.

"Aspen, you can't stay awake forever. Get some rest. I'll wake you up if they set a pack of wild dogs on us or something."

"Don't give them ideas."

Cato laughed as I laid back. It was far too warm for the sleeping bag now. So I smoothed it out on the cave floor and laid down, one hand on my loaded bow in case I had to shoot at a moment's notice. If it was coming from a distance I knew that I would be more useful than Cato. It was why I gave him the throwing knife. Just in case. Cato sat down beside me, leaning against the wall, his legs stretched out before him, with his eyes trained on the world outside.

"Go to sleep," he said softly.

Obviously he wanted me to go to sleep. I told him to wake me up in the next few hours. I didn't want to be asleep too long. I had gotten used to sleeping for just a few hours a day. It was something that I almost liked now. I would rather be awake and alert. His hand brushed the loose strands of my hair off my forehead. The gesture seemed natural and comforting. It was something that I couldn't have imagined him doing before. I didn't want him to stop and he didn't. He was still stroking my hair when I fell asleep.

The first thing that I knew when I woke up was that I had been asleep for too long. I had definitely slept for too long. I knew it from the moment that I opened my eyes that we were already well into the afternoon. It would likely be nighttime in a matter of moments. Cato was right beside me, his position unchanged. I sat up, feeling somehow defensive but better rested than I had been in days. And not in pain, which was a refreshing change.

"Cato, you were supposed to wake me after a couple of hours," I said.

"For what? Nothing's going on here. And in case you forgot, I'm a Career," he said.

"Trust me, I didn't."

"Besides I like watching you sleep. You don't scowl. Improves your looks a lot."

That, of course, brought on a scowl that makes him grin. "You're not funny," I said.

But he was funny. So I laughed and moved about our day. For a long time Cato told me all about his schooling back in District 2 and how he would have wanted to be a doctor had he not gone into the Games. It made me smile. At midday a Sponsor gift showed up. Gifts went up in price the longer that the Games continued. What would buy a full meal on day one would buy a cracker on day twelve. Today they had given us a pot of soup. It wasn't much but it was enough to keep us from starving and to keep me from having to hunt. I tugged out the note as Cato started sharpening our weapons.

I know you love him but play it up! -H

And he was right. I loved him but I had to overreact to everything. "If I put more water in this I can get more out of the soup," I said.

Cato almost immediately stood up. "I can do it," he offered.

I knew that he was bored and feeling useless. "Do you know how?" I asked.

"No…" he trailed off irritably.

"I'll do it then."

"You've got to teach me some survival skills."

"Survive the next twenty-four hours and I will."

He smiled as I walked out of our little area and headed away. As I took the pot down to the stream, I was struck by how brutally hot it was. I could have sworn that the Gamemakers were progressively ratcheting up the temperature in the daytime and sending it plummeting at night. Probably to kill off the weaker of the remaining Tributes. The heat of the sun-baked stones by the stream gave me an idea. Maybe I wouldn't need to light a fire. I didn't want to draw anyone to us right now. I wanted to gain some strength back.

I settled down on a big flat rock halfway between the stream and the cave. After purifying half a pot of water, I placed it in direct sunlight and added several egg-size hot stones to the water. It wasn't that much soup that we'd been sent. Mostly because it was very expensive at this point. I wanted to try and get some more in it. Cato wasn't used to having so little food and I knew that he would slow down if he started getting less food. I was the first to admit that I wasn't much of a cook. But since soup mainly involved tossing everything in a pot and waiting, it was one of my better dishes.

So I went to work. I minced groosling until it was practically mush and mashed some of Rue's roots. Fortunately they had both been roasted already so they mostly just needed to be heated up. Already between the sunlight and the rocks, the water was warm. I put in the meat and roots, swap in fresh rocks, and went to find something green to spice it up a little. Before long I discovered a tuft of chives growing at the base of some rocks. I chopped them very finely and added them to the pot, switched out the rocks again, put on the lid, and let the whole thing stew.

I'd seen very few signs of game around, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving Cato alone while I hunted. Even though he was a Career I was concerned about his safety. He wasn't a long distance fighter. So I rigged half a dozen snares and hoped that I would get lucky. I wondered about the other Tributes. I wanted to know how they were managing now that their main source of food had been blown up. At least three of them, Coral, Clove, and Finch, had been relying on it. Definitely not Peeta. Probably not Thresh. I had a feeling he must have shared some of Rue's knowledge on how to feed yourself from the earth.

Were they fighting each other? Looking for us? Maybe one of them had located us and was just waiting for the right moment to attack. It could very well be something that Clove and Coral could do. That idea sent me back to the cave. Cato was stretched out on top of the sleeping bag in the shade of the rocks. He was sharpening his sword again. Although he brightened a bit when I came in.

"You were gone forever," he said.

"Got concerned?" I asked.

"Bored," Cato groaned.

He admitted to me that it was the first time in the Games that he really didn't want to be there. I understood. We were bored and tired and annoyed. For a while we walked around and exchanged small stories as we rearranged everything. Obviously neither one of us were used to not really having much to do. It was easy to see how antsy we were. We wanted to go out and do something. But we couldn't. I eventually went back to my traps and saw that just a few had gone off. It would be enough for a small dinner. So I brought the animals back and immediately started cooking them.

"Almost dinner time. We'll have some soup and rabbits. I think this is some kind of bird," I said.

"Here. I'll help," he said, as we got to skinning. I knew that he could do that much. We worked in silence for a while. "Tell me a story," Cato finally said.

That was surprising. "What am I? Your mother?" I asked.

"We'd be having serious problems if you were."

It made me snort. "What kind of story?"

"Tell me your happiest memory."

"There aren't many causes to be happy in District 12."

"Try."

Most of them involved illegally hunting with Katniss and Gale. So I settled on a story with Prim. "Did I ever tell you about how I got Prim's goat?" I asked.

Cato shook his head and looked at me expectantly. "I didn't even know she had one. Tell me," he said.

So I began as we cooked and started our dinner. With me being back and forth all day it had gone relatively quickly. My story was mostly true but it was also very careful. Because my words were going out all over Panem. And while people had no doubt put two and two together that I hunted illegally, I didn't want to hurt Gale or Greasy Sae or Katniss or the butcher or even the Peacekeepers back home who were my customers by publicly announcing they were breaking the law, too. Cato knew my signals well enough to fill in the blanks where I changed the real story to the fake one.

The real story of how I got the money for Prim's goat, Lady, started on a Friday evening, the day before Prim's tenth birthday in late May. Katniss and I, more like it. As soon as school ended, Gale, Katniss, and I hit the woods, because we wanted to get enough to trade for a present for Prim. Maybe some new cloth for a dress or a hairbrush. Our snares had done well enough and the woods were flush with greens, but it was really no more than our average Friday-night haul. Katniss and I were disappointed as we headed back, even though Gale said that we would be sure to do better tomorrow.

We were resting a moment by a stream when we saw him. A young buck, probably a yearling by his size. His antlers were just growing in, still small and coated in velvet. Poised to run but unsure of us, unfamiliar with humans. Beautiful. Less beautiful perhaps when the two arrows caught him, one in the neck, the other in the chest. Gale and Katniss had shot at the same time. The buck tried to run but stumbled, and my knife lodged in its skull before he knew what had happened. Momentarily, I had felt a pang at killing something so fresh and innocent.

Then my stomach rumbled at the thought of all that fresh and innocent meat. Gale, Katniss, and I have only brought down three in all. The first one, a doe that had injured her leg somehow, almost didn't count. But we knew from that experience not to go dragging the carcass into the Hob. It had caused chaos with people bidding on parts and actually trying to hack off pieces themselves. Greasy Sae had intervened and sent us with our deer to the butcher, but not before it'd been badly damaged, hunks of meat taken, the hide riddled with holes. Although everybody paid up fairly, it had lowered the value of the kill.

This time we waited until dark fell and slipped under a hole in the fence close to the butcher. Even though we were known hunters, it wouldn't have been good to go carrying a hundred-pound deer through the streets of District 12 in daylight like we were rubbing it in the officials' faces.

The butcher, a short, chunky woman named Rooba, came to the back door when we knocked. You didn't haggle with Rooba. She gave you one price, which you could either take or leave, but it was a fair price. We took her offer on the deer and she threw in a couple of venison steaks we could pick up after the butchering. Even with the money divided in three, neither Gale nor Katniss nor I had held so much at one time in our lives. We decided to keep it a secret and surprise our families with the meat and money at the end of the next day.

That was where we really got the money for the goat, but I told Cato that Katniss and I sold an old silver locket of her mother's. That couldn't hurt anyone. The two of us kept kissing and eating during the story. That was when I would briefly stop and tell him the whole truth. He nodded at me once I had relayed that to him and I picked up the story in the late afternoon of Prim's birthday. Gale, Katniss, and I went to the market on the square so that we could buy dress materials. As we were running my fingers over a length of thick blue cotton cloth, which we knew Prim would love, something caught our eye.

There was an old man who kept a small herd of goats on the other side of the Seam. I didn't know his real name, everyone just called him the Goat Man. His joints were swollen and twisted in painful angles, and he had a hacking cough that proved that he had spent years in the mines. But he was lucky. Somewhere along the way he saved up enough for these goats and now had something to do in his old age besides slowly starve to death. He was filthy and impatient, but the goats were clean and their milk was rich if you could afford it.

One of the goats, a white one with black patches, was lying down in a cart. It was easy to see why. Something, probably a dog, had mauled her shoulder and infection had set in. It was bad, the Goat Man had to hold her up to milk her. But we thought we knew someone who could fix it. Katniss and I immediately grinned at each other and formulated the plan.

"Gale. I want that goat for Prim," Katniss said.

"We're gonna get it," I said.

Owning a nanny goat could change your life in District 12. The animals could live off almost anything, the Meadow was a perfect feeding place, and they could give four quarts of milk a day. To drink, to make into cheese, or to sell. It wasn't even against the law. We knew that it was perfect.

"She's hurt pretty bad," Gale said.

"She can heal," I said.

"We better take a closer look," Katniss said.

We went over and bought a cup of milk to share, then stood over the goat as if idly curious. "Let her be," the man said.

"Just looking," Gale said.

"Well, look fast. She goes to the butcher soon. Hardly anyone will buy her milk, and then they only pay half price," the man said.

"What's the butcher giving for her?" Katniss asked.

The man shrugged. "Hang around and see." So we did. I turned and saw Rooba coming across the square toward us. "Lucky thing you showed up," the Goat Man said when she arrived. Those girl's there got their eyes on your goat."

"Not if they're spoken for," Katniss said carelessly.

"Thank you very much," I added.

Rooba looked us up and down then frowned at the goat. "She's not. Look at that shoulder. Bet you half the carcass will be too rotten for even sausage," Rooba said.

"What? We had a deal," the Goat Man said.

"We had a deal on an animal with a few teeth marks. Not that thing. Sell her to the girls if they're stupid enough to take her," Rooba said.

As she marched off, Katniss and I caught her wink back at us. Katniss and I had grinned at each other before turning away and pretending to act like we were put out by her words. The Goat Man was mad, but he still wanted that goal off his hands. It took us half an hour to agree on the price. A number of times Gale yanked me back because he thought that I was going to hit Goat Man. Quite a crowd had gathered by then to hand out opinions. It was an excellent deal if the goat lived; we'd have been robbed if she died.

People took sides in the argument, but Katniss and I took the goat. We were determined that it would work. Gale offered to carry her. We were both pretty sure that he wanted to see the look on Prim's face as much as the two of us did. In a moment of complete giddiness, Katniss bought a pink ribbon and tied it around her neck. I ended up buying two bows to place on her ears. Then we hurried back to Katniss's house.

"You should have seen Prim's reaction when we walked in with that goat. Remember this is a girl who wept to save that awful old cat, Buttercup. She was so excited she started crying and laughing all at once. Katniss's mother was less sure, seeing the injury, but the pair of them went to work on it, grinding up herbs and coaxing brews down the animal's throat. Prim insisted on sleeping with Lady on a blanket next to the fire. And just before they drifted off, the goat licked her cheek, like it was giving her a good night kiss or something. It was already mad about her," I finished explaining to Cato.

"Was it still wearing the pink ribbon and bows?" Cato asked.

"I think so. Why?" I asked.

"I'm just trying to get a picture. I can see why that day made you happy."

"Well, I knew that goat would be a little gold mine. We both did."

Something in Cato's eyes hardened. "Yes, of course I was referring to that, not the lasting joy you gave the adoptive sister you love so much when you took her place in the Reaping," Cato said drily.

And he was right. "The goat has paid for itself. Several times over," I said in a superior tone.

"Well, it wouldn't dare do anything else after you saved its life. I intend to do the same thing," Cato said.

"Really? What did you cost me again?" I teased.

"A lot of trouble. Don't worry. You'll get it all back," he said.

He words made me smile. The two of us finished up our dinner and I went back out to check the remaining traps. Only one had caught a squirrel. So I grabbed it and brought it back, dismantling the rest of the traps. I didn't want to alert someone to the fact that we might be around while we were sleeping. When I finally came back we settled down in the sleeping back as the temperate dropped. We talked for a little while longer before the anthem played. Another day with no deaths. They would be getting bored soon. Cato and I laid down to go to bed after sharing a long kiss and I sighed.

Just as I closed my eyes, another screech of the arena loudspeakers caused me to shoot up. "Attention Tributes. Attention!" Claudius Templesmith roared. My new best friend. "Commencing at sunrise. There will be a feast tomorrow at the Cornucopia. This will be no ordinary occasion. Each of you needs something. Desperately. And we planned to be... generous hosts."

For a moment I waited to hear if something else would be said but it never came. The announcement clicked off and I groaned. That was it. But it was no normal feast. There wouldn't be any moldy bread. It was something that we desperately needed. I wasn't sure what it would be but I wanted to go out there and find out. And now I knew why they hadn't set any traps off today. They were waiting for the announcement. They would likely get blood tomorrow. Cato and I stared at each other for a moment before I came to a quick decision.

"We have to go," I said, standing up from our spot.

He grabbed my arm though and yanked me back down to the ground. I stumbled awkwardly and landed straight in his lap. I stared at him like he had lost his marbles before going to stand once more. But right as I began to stand again he grabbed my arm and pulled me back down.

"No, Aspen," he said.

I shook my head at him. "Why not?" I asked.

Apparently we all needed something desperately and I wanted to know what it was that I needed so badly. "It's the Capitol. They're going to do something. There won't be anything there. And even if there is then it's just a way for them to draw the remaining Tributes together," he said.

Motioning back to where the Cornucopia was I shook my head again and fought for what I knew we had to do come sunrise. "We're only about a five minute walk back to the Cornucopia. If something goes wrong then we book it back here," I said.

"If something goes wrong we might not get the chance."

"I can go first. I'm faster."

"You are not going first."

"If we're careful we could do this," I argued.

He only shook his head at me. His hand was tight around my arm and it was beginning to hurt, but I wasn't going to let him know that. "There's nothing we need to plan for because we aren't doing this," he snapped.

"Cato -" I started.

He shook his head at me and I sighed. "No," he said.

I ripped my arm away from him. His eyes darkened but I steadied my nerves, making sure that I didn't give in to him. "We have to go!" I said.

"We don't need anything."

"Maybe we do."

"It isn't worth it. There isn't even anything that we need," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Evidently there is," I said. He scoffed loudly. "Cato, that announcement that they made earlier about the change in the rules was because of us. They are favoring us right now. They already have the Death Match planned out. Maybe whatever they are trying to give us is a hint at what we can be expecting if we go there. It could be a chance to get rid of -"

"No!" he yelled. I jumped at the noise. His face softened as he realized that he had startled me but it hardened once more not even a moment later. "That's enough. We aren't talking about this anymore. It's only so that they can get us back together with everyone else. They can start a fight. I just got you back and we can live through this together now. I'm not losing you because you want to go after something that might not even be there."

I felt myself soften slightly. He was right. We had just gotten each other and he wasn't willing to risk losing me. "Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes. We can go later and check it out."

"The bags will be gone," I said.

"But we'll be alive."

And suddenly I realized that he was just as stubborn as I was. It was definitely a hard thing to beat. Slowly I nodded to him and he smirked at me. He hadn't won but I wasn't going to say that. He would never go to sleep if I did. I shoved him and sighed again at the thought that I was going to have to admit that he was right. Or at least I had to make him feel like he was right.

"Okay. You win. We won't go," I said.

He laid back onto the tree and pulled me back to lay on his lap again. He smiled at me as I lay my head in his lap and yawned deeply. "Good. Now, come on, let's get to sleep. It's gonna be a long day of hunting tomorrow," he said.

A sharp shiver ran through me. "I know," I muttered.

My eyes slipped closed as I faced Cato's torso. "Goodnight, Aspen," he said softly, running his fingers through my hair.

"Goodnight, Cato."

For nearly an hour he ran his fingers through my hair before his hands fell from me. He still wasn't asleep. I could tell by his breathing. I steadied mine so that he would think that I was asleep. Once his breathing finally fell into a deep pattern I let my breath come out raggedly. His hand was over my shoulder and I gently let it slip off of me. The sun was getting ready to rise. I had to make my move soon. Taking a deep breath I cleared the sleep from my head and forced myself to get ready to stand. Glancing back to Cato I sighed deeply and let a small kiss on his thigh. Just in case. I'm sorry Cato, but I have to do this.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Every once in a while Cato would stir slightly and the panic would set in. The last thing that I wanted was for him to wake up. I needed him to stay asleep for at least another few hours. There was no way that he could be awake. He would stop me and then my plan would have been for nothing. It couldn't be for nothing. This had to work. There was something that we needed and I was determined to know what it was. Currently Cato was asleep, but he wasn't the heaviest of sleepers. There was no doubt in my mind that if he woke up right now and saw what I was doing he would either kill me or tie me to the tree.

If I had some type of sleeping medicine I would have used it on him. But I didn't so I couldn't. I looked around the little dugout to see if there was anything else that I needed, but I had no other options. If I took the bag it might weigh and slow me down. Plus there really wasn't anything that I needed that was in the pack. Cato shifted slightly and I turned to see what he was doing. His hand fluttered over his lap for a moment before he set it back down and began to mumble. Most of the words were nonsensical but there were a few that I could make out. Death. Live. Home. Aspen.

That was the one that hurt the most. It definitely hurt me to leave him but I knew that I had to do this. He wouldn't come with me so it meant that I would be able to find out what it was that we so desperately needed. Or maybe it would be a trap and nothing would be there. I supposed that having nothing there wouldn't be too bad either. At least I had gone and given it a try. There was just one thing that I knew. I was a brash and stubborn person and it would have gnawed away at me if I sat and did nothing.

If nothing else it was just to see what the hell the Gamemakers thought that the two of us needed so badly. And if that didn't work I could maybe get the chance to take out another threat. Clove or Coral would have been preferable. I was pretty sure that Peeta wouldn't be able to make it with his leg the way that it was and Finch might make it out there so fast that no one would have any chance to get to her. Thresh would probably be there too but there was no way that I would be able to kill him. We were friends and I didn't want to be the reason that he didn't make it back to District 11.

The sun was slowly starting to rise and I knew that I would have to leave soon. At the late stage in the Games, with an important event like the feast, school would probably be canceled. My family could either watch on that static-filled old clunker of a television they had at home or join the crowds in the Town Square to watch on the big, clear screens. They would have privacy at home but support in the Square. People would give them a kind word and a bit of food if they could spare it.

It reminded me of the promise. I wondered if the baker had sought them out, especially after he realized that Peeta and I really were allies, and made good on his promise to keep Prim's belly full. Spirits must have been running high in District 12. We so rarely had anyone to root for at this point in the Games. Surely people were excited about me. Cato would be another thing entirely. Chances were that they wanted me to be with Peeta. I probably lost a number of Sponsors over that. But there were a number of people that wouldn't have cared. They were just happy that I would be coming back.

If I closed my eyes, I could imagine their shouts at the screens, urging at least me on. I could even see their faces - Greasy Sae and Madge and even the Peacekeepers who bought my meat cheering for me. Maybe for both of us. Maybe not. As for District 2... I couldn't be quite sure. Cato's family was likely thrilled that he would be coming back. Not that they probably ever had a doubt. Or maybe they did. Because of me. Maybe they were relieved that we were together because it posed no problem for Cato in the end. Maybe they hated me for ever giving them a doubt. I didn't care. It was my family that I cared about.

Gale. I knew him. I knew him better than anyone else. He wouldn't be shouting and cheering for me. But he would be watching every moment, every twist and turn, and willing me to come home. Katniss would be with him the entire time. I wondered if he was hoping that Cato made it too. Probably not. Gale wasn't my boyfriend. Could he be, if I opened that door? Probably. He talked about us running away together. But that was with Katniss. Was it just a practical calculation of our chances of survival away from the District or something more? I didn't need to wonder what he thought about the kissing. He hated it.

Finally it was time to go. I laced my shoes tighter, having undone them for the first time in the Games. Once they were tied up I took in a deep breath and watched as the sun just began to peek up over the horizon. I needed to move fast if I wanted to be there before the sun came up. I could always wait until after the initial shock of the feast but there was a good chance that someone would steal my pack. It had happened before and I knew that it would happen again if I was too slow. Everyone knew that the Capitol was rooting for Cato and me to win. That meant that they would try to take it to weaken us.

Suddenly another thought occurred to me. There were still two people from District 2 left. I wasn't going to be the only one fighting for it. Clove would be furious with me for taking Cato and she would be dead-set on getting the pack. I had to get there before Clove if I wanted the District 2 pack. Once I had myself put together I turned back and said a silent apology to Cato. If something went wrong today and I couldn't make it back I wanted him to be able to see how hard it was for me to leave him in the replays of the Games.

Stepping out of the small area that we had hidden ourselves in I yawned deeply and started the trek to the Cornucopia. Even though I had slept a little bit I was still exhausted. I would want to sleep for a year when we got back to the Capitol. Not that I would be able to. I knew that nightmares would ensue the moment that I was out of the arena. Just like it did with every other Victor, whether or not they wanted to admit it. Normally I would have done something to hide Cato slightly but there were no other Tributes in the area. All of those who remained were going to be on their way to the Cornucopia just like I was.

Plus the area that we were in was relatively well-hidden. As I stepped over the bushes and twigs that were on the ground, not wanting to snap anything and bring any attention to myself, I quickly made my way to the Cornucopia. I couldn't quite tell what time it was. Katniss had always been better at telling time by the sun and moon. All I knew was that I needed to be there before sunrise. Clove would be there and I had to beat her. Unfortunately it would mean that I would likely get caught up by her. At least I'd get the chance to kill her.

As I walked I realized just how cold it was outside. I wished that I could have taken Cato's jacket too but I would have been risking waking him up. So I decided to just force myself to get over it. My breath made small white clouds as it hit the air. It was as cold as a November night at home. Just like the days where Katniss and I would slip into the woods, lantern in hand, to join Gale at some prearranged place where we would sit bundled together, sipping herb tea from metal flasks wrapped in quilting, hoping game would pass our way as the morning came on.

If only Gale had my back right now. I loved Cato but I didn't know how he fought. He was fast and up-close. Gale and I had been fighting together for years. We always knew how to have each other's backs. I knew how it would go. Gale was slower so I would have run out first. He would have had his bow loaded as I ran, taking out any enemies that attempted to hit me. Katniss and I would have had the same plan. Between the three of us we would have been unstoppable. Now I had Cato, who was a worthy opponent, but we needed time to learn to work with each other.

He would be furious with me by the time that I got back. Too bad. You've got more balls than brain. That was what Gale used to tell me. And he was right. He was probably thinking it right now. I moved as fast as I dared to. My vision at night had always been good. It was why Gale and Katniss always had me go first in the dark. I was the only one that could catch anything, mostly with the aid of my remarkable hearing. I sorely missed having the use of my right ear. I wasn't quite sure what the explosion did, but it had damaged something deep and irreparable.

It didn't matter. When I got home, I would be so stinking rich that I would be able to pay someone to do my hearing. Although Gale and Katniss would probably get a good laugh out of the fact that I was so ballsy that it had resulted in me deafening myself. Most of District 1, District 2, District 3, and District 4 had probably thought that it was funny too. Payback for me destroying their Tributes' supplies. Payback for accidentally getting Ethan killed. In a sudden moment of panic I took out a small knife and tucked it into my boot before getting back to walking.

The woods always looked different at night. I didn't really like walking around these woods. I knew the ones back home. I could have been blind and I would still know where I was going. I knew the predators that I would run into. But not here. Everything had an unfamiliar slant to it. It was as if the daytime trees and flowers and stones had gone to bed and sent slightly more ominous versions of themselves to take their places. It made me very careful. I didn't try anything tricky, like taking a new route. I made my way back up the stream and followed the same path back to Rue's hiding place near the lake.

Along the way, I saw no sign of another Tribute. Not a puff of breath or a quiver of a branch. Either I was the first to arrive or the others had positioned themselves last night. There was still more than an hour when I wriggled into the underbrush and wait for the blood to begin to flow. It was freezing. I was glad that I had the new jacket that I'd been sent a few days ago. This one didn't have tears or burns in it and I could have sworn that it was a little heavier. The Gamemakers were definitely trying to freeze us. It took everything in me not to get up and move around because I was so cold.

The only part of me that was warm was the one arm that had been burned during the Cornucopia's destruction. For a moment I was almost grateful for it. I shifted slightly before forcing myself to stay still. If someone saw me moving I would likely have been skewered by a knife before even spotting it. So I forced myself to think to distract myself from the cold. How the hell were they going to do this? As Capitol law stated, Gamemakers and Peacekeepers were not allowed to set foot in the arena under any circumstance.

There were the Catacombs under the arena that they could use but I still wasn't sure if that would work. I sighed and glanced around the area. The Gamemakers had cleaned the area up after the explosion. The ground was perfectly intact and the char marks had disappeared from the sides of the Cornucopia. There didn't seem to be any sign of Clove or Coral so I assumed that the pair had taken off somewhere else. Probably making a new Career camp even though they were technically the only two left. Cato was still the stronger of the two but he was no longer allied with them. He was with me now.

Slowly I scanned the bushes for any sign of Tribute life but no matter how hard I looked I couldn't see anyone. It didn't mean that I was the only one here. Chances were that there were at least two other people hiding somewhere. There was a soft hissing noise and I jumped as I turned back to the front of the Cornucopia. A small hole opened in the ground and I wondered what would have happened if someone had jumped in. They probably either would have been shot, thrown back into the arena, or killed on the spot. A small table rose from the ground and I glanced around the small supply table.

Sitting on top of the table were five bags. Just as promised they had actually given us something that we needed. I was glad that I hadn't made the trip for nothing. But it also meant that the others were thinking the same thing. I only had so long before they started moving. We were just waiting for the first one to make a move. Each of the bags had a large painted-white number that read the appropriate District. The first was for District 2 and it was huge. I coughed softly when I saw the bag. The damn thing looked heavy and I was sure that it wouldn't be easy to run out of here with that.

It didn't matter. I had to have it. I needed it. Cato apparently needed it. Or Clove, but I wasn't letting her have it. The District 4 bag was relatively small but it was big enough to look like it contained something important. The District 5 bag was lined up next and it was about the same size as the District 4 bag. The District 11 bag was a decent size, somewhere between the size of the District 2 and 4 bags. The District 12 bag was lined up last on the table and I nearly screamed when I saw it. The damn thing couldn't have been larger than my hand. It was the smallest of the bags for sure.

There was a good chance that it would have medicine for Peeta's leg. Maybe there was nothing in it for me. It didn't matter. Even if they had nothing for me in the bag I needed to get the one for Cato. That was the reason I had come out here. More for his rather than mine. The bags were black and impossible to see through so I wouldn't know what was in the bags unless I grabbed them and looked in them. They had done it for a reason. They wanted us to fight for them, even if there was nothing in them.

What was in them? I was pretty sure that the District 2 bag held some sort of weapon. That was the only thing that I could imagine was in it. There might have been some food too. District 4 and District 5 was most likely food. District 11 too for that matter. Then there was my bag. I couldn't even begin to imagine what was in there. Medicine for Peeta but what the hell was in it for me? I didn't need anything. I had water, food, and weapons. There might be some medicine for me but my burn from destroying the supplies felt fine now. It hurt to put pressure on but it wasn't something that I desperately needed.

The urge to grab the bag hit me harder than before and just as I went to make the run for the bags I saw a small shadow move from inside the Cornucopia. I raised my bow to shoot the figure that came running out but when I saw the movement again I caught a flash of red. It was Finch. After she had heard the announcement of the Feast she must have come here and slept inside of the Cornucopia, waiting for the feast. Damn it. Good idea... She finally darted out into the open, grabbing the bag with the 5 painted on it and darted out of the open, running straight for the woods.

Leave it to her to come up with such a clever and risky idea. The rest of us were still poised around the plain, sizing up the situation, and she had hers. She had us trapped too because no one wanted to chase her down. Not while their own pack sat so vulnerable on the table. Finch must have purposefully left the other packs alone, knowing that to steal one would definitely bring on a pursuer. That should have been my strategy. By the time I had worked through the emotions of surprise, admiration, anger, jealousy, and frustration, I was watching her red hair disappear into the trees well out of shooting range.

The air around the Cornucopia was still again. It became very clear that I would have to run next. Clove and Coral were likely waiting for me to move so they could attack. Clove was probably lying in wait. Coral wasn't quite as good of a fighter. Thresh would wait. No one would dare steal his pack knowing that he was here. He would have flattened any of us. But my pack... It was so tiny. It would be easy to steal and they were more angry with me than afraid. I had to run now. I took a deep breath as I got into the position to run. Maybe if no one had attacked Finch that meant that she and I were the only ones here.

It was what I told myself for some comfort. Slowly edging myself as far forward as I could, I ducked and pushed myself up and down a few times gathering my nerves. This was a one shot thing and I didn't get a chance to screw it up. Taking one more deep breath I pushed off from my left toe and went into a dead sprint for the bags. Clove would be on me within seconds. I grabbed the District 12 pack first and threw it onto my back before running over to grab the District 2 pack. I picked it up in my hands and turned to make a mad dash back for the woods again.

Tearing through the field again I screamed softly when I saw a knife come flying through the air. Clove. I raised up the District 2 bag and heard a metallic clang as it bounced off of the bag. What the hell was in this thing? I thought about reaching for the bow but I knew that it would be useless. I would have to drop the bag. But then Gale's voice rang out. Shoot her and you can grab the bag again. Katniss's voice came next and it was much more desperate. Shoot her, you moron! So I decided to follow their advice.

Hurling the District 2 bag away from me slightly I pulled off my bow and yanked out an arrow. Clove looked furious as she sprinted after me. She probably hadn't known that I had the bow. She tossed another knife and I rolled sideways out of the way. It barely skimmed my forehead and I hissed in pain. It didn't matter that the knife had barely touched me. It was so sharp that it easily sliced through the skin. I shot off the arrow straight at her heart but she turned to the side at the last minute. The arrow pierced her in the upper left bicep. Wrong arm, idiot! It was the other one that she threw with.

Clove cringed in pain as she hesitated for a moment to rip the arrow out and throw it to the side. Clove tossed another knife - much more sloppily than her previous throw - as I rolled underneath it and nocked another arrow, as only someone who had hunted for years could do. Barely taking the time to aim before straightening up I let the arrow off. Unfortunately the blood that was running down my face and half blinding me was making it very hard to aim. She ducked out of the way but it scraped her across the temple. Payback.

The blood was making to too hard to aim. I had to try something else. I dashed madly towards the younger girl in a hope to bowl her over but it ended up being useless. I hit her and she managed to swipe my legs out from under me. I tripped and watched as the bag went sprawling. Kill her! I went to crawl over to the bag but just as I grabbed the strap of the pack I felt a sharp pain shoot through my shin. I kicked out roughly and felt my boot connect with the head of the younger Tribute. She cried out and I felt my heart pound in my chest. I had to get away from her. I had the chance while she was down.

No. No. It was time to kill her. I reached out for my bow and had barely enough time to nock another arrow. I shot it off and watched as it went straight through her shin. Clove cried out and dropped to the ground, bowling me over. We flipped over a few times as my bow went flying from my hand. She rolled on top of me and immediately sent a knife down at my chest. I ducked out of the way before wrenching a hand over her arm and throwing us over each other again. Clove cried out as the arrow snapped under her weight and permanently lodged itself in her leg.

As we rolled over again I jammed a fist into her windpipe. It worked only long enough for her to become furious with someone else having the upper hand in the fight. She flipped us again, right where I wanted her to. As she sat on top of me I reached over, grabbed the bow in my hands and - praying that it was strong enough to take the hit - I smashed it right over her head. Clove was already bleeding badly as she was thrown off of me. I rolled over and reached for my other knife. Just as I launched after her she turned back around and knocked me to the ground.

The two of us went sprawling and immediately launched into a grappling fight for the knife. My leg was screaming in pain from the knife but I refused to give up. Her head had a small purplish mark from where I had kicked her and I couldn't help but smirk. Her head was bleeding badly from where I had hit her with the bow and both her shoulder and shin were bleeding from my arrows. But she wasn't dead and she wasn't going to give up. She managed to rip the knife from my gasp and plunge it back into my thigh. I yelled loudly at the rush of pain. It probably woke up Cato. It probably woke Prim up back home.

Hopefully it was too early for her to be awake. I didn't want her to see this. Clove ripped the knife back out from my thigh and I didn't bother to wait before retaliating. She wasn't quite holding herself steadily on top of me. So I did the same thing that Gale had done to me a few times when we were kids. But much, much, harder. I hooked my leg back over her torso and kicked her off of me. She was knocked off as I used my free leg to kick into her face as hard as I could. She let out an ear splitting scream and I grimaced as she grabbed my leg and ripped me out from on top of her.

She wasn't going to let me win this. But I wasn't going to let her win this either. She was going to die. She had to die. Grunting loudly I hit the ground and yelped. My leg was starting to really hurt. I hit face-first on the ground and spit out the tiny bit of grass that had gotten in my mouth. Dirt and blood. My head was spinning slightly at the blood loss. I glanced over and saw that Clove was rolling her eyes and trying to sit up straight. I had stunned her more than hurt her. Her nose was severely turned to the right and was dripping blood. She stormed up to me and I stumbled back.

Quickly I grabbed a knife from out of my holster and threw it blindly at her. She ducked out of the way and I watched as the knife skimmed her arm. She hissed in pain but pulled out a knife of her own as she towered over me. The only good thing was that she wanted me to suffer. She didn't want to make it quick, which meant that she wasn't just going to throw the knife. Mistake on her part. I threw my fist straight up and smirked as I felt her nose crack again under my fist. If by some chance she made it back home the Gamemakers would have a hell of a time putting it back together.

She roared in fury and hit me roughly in the chest. I coughed and felt my rib poke into my lungs. That hurt. Throwing my legs up I wrapped them tightly around her neck and watched as she grasped blindly for them, trying to unwrap them from behind her. She was turning blue and I hoped that I could suffocate her. Time after time she punched my chest, hoping that I would let go of her. Every time it felt like she was puncturing my lung but it wasn't something that I was going to let stop me. If I kept like this she would pass out soon.

But just as I thought that she was finally going to slip away she pulled out the tiniest knife I had ever seen and plunged it into my lower stomach. I yelled loudly and without meaning to I let my legs drop off of her. She took the surprise opening without even thinking about it and punched me again. My moment of weakness would cost me. But I had a plan. She jumped on top of me and pushed my arms to the ground. I tried to grab her arms off of me but there was no way that I could get her off of me. I was losing blood and the knife that was sticking out of my stomach hurt like hell.

She pushed my legs to the ground and I tried to get them back up around her but she was heavier than I had expected her to be. She pushed her knees down onto my chest and let her feet dig into my wrists. I bucked roughly plenty of times but she was determined to keep me down. I had one last choice. I pulled my feet up - feigning another buck - and managed to slip my emergency knife out. Clove was grinning down at me as I yanked myself off to one side. It was enough to get her to briefly release my arm. I reached up and slashed the knife out at her throat. Unfortunately it wasn't quite close enough.

Clove had spotted what I was going to do seconds before I had. She leaned backwards and jumped up. It meant that I only got a good slash at her chest. The wound opened - since Cato had sharpened the knife only yesterday - but it wasn't enough to kill her. She merely kicked the knife away from me and leaned over. Her blood was dripping onto me and I growled. Finally I gave up fighting and desperately searched for a plan. She clearly wanted to say something to me or else she would have killed me by now. I gave her a questioning look. I expected her to smirk at me but instead she only wore a dark glare.

"Where's Cato?" she hissed.

The longer I could keep her talking the longer I would stay alive. "Not far," I lied. Deciding that I might as well try for it - and knowing that Cato would easily keep me alive over Clove - I shouted out, "Cato!"

Clove leaned back and punched me straight in the windpipe. I gasped and immediately shut up, hoping that Cato would have heard me. "Liar," she snarled.

Back in District 12 I could picture them all shouting at me. Get up, Aspen! Keep moving! But it was the image of Prim screaming and crying that motivated me again. Twisting roughly I bucked my hips up and watched as Clove was nearly thrown from me. She yelped as I brought my leg back to kick her in the head. She growled darkly before punching me once in the face. I let my head fall back in dizziness and nearly vomited from the sudden impact to my temple. Clove sneered at me and leaned down to my face as to try and intimidate me to give her my answer. I snorted at her and shook my head.

"Fine. You're right. Obviously not here, sweetheart," I hissed, glancing up to see if anyone else was around.

"He'll let you die," Clove snarled.

"He doesn't know I'm here," I said, at least wanting her to know that Cato hadn't abandoned me.

"No, but you were loud enough. The arena is quiet. He heard you. He'll be here soon," she said carelessly.

No one would be coming to help me. No one wanted to get sucked into the fight between Clove and me. Thresh would wait it out. Just as before the small clearing was completely empty and the District 2 pack lay on the ground near us. Maybe Cato was right. Maybe I shouldn't have come. Or maybe I should have at least waited for him. He could have helped me here. She snorted and slapped me roughly on the cheek. I growled and tried to buck her off of me again but she merely twisted the knife that was still in my stomach. I cringed and stopped moving.

"Oh, I see. I knew he was gonna run to you when they said that two Tributes could win," she said.

"Must hurt," I snapped back.

She wasn't getting out of this unscathed. "I don't care. It's just too damn bad for you," she sneered. She laid close to my face and smirked at me. "See? I'm gonna kill you and Cato will just have to get over it. We'll go home together and you'll rot in the dirt."

Letting my anger get the best out of me I knocked her knees off of my chest and threw my head up to hers, headbutting her. She would have to start getting woozy soon. I'd given her at least three head injuries. Maybe more. She fell back and grabbed her head, still lying on me. It hadn't done much to her other than stun her but it had made me feel better.

"Bitch!" she hissed.

Unfortunately I should have known that she wouldn't let it go. She reached down and twisted the knife in my stomach again. I ground my teeth together and fought the urge to yell out. She knew that I was doing it and laughed as she released the knife and slowly slipped it out of my stomach. I grunted as my eyes watered softly as she tossed the knife off to the side. I tried to reach for it but it was just out of my grasp and she knew it. She laughed loudly and I stared up at her.

"Get the hell off of me, Clove. You know that if you kill me Cato won't forgive you. Friend or not, he'll kill you," I said.

Some part of me had to believe that it was the truth. I might not have known him for as long as she had but I knew that he loved me. He was probably rather fond of her too but he had said that he would kill her to ensure that we made it home together. I could only imagine how he would react if she killed me. At least it would give me a good show to watch in death.

"That's sweet. You've known him for two weeks, honey."

"And yet he offered to kill you to go home with me."

Her eyes lit up with fury. "He always finds some girl that he likes and he gets over them," she said. There was a slight tightening in my chest as she made me squirm. "In a few months he won't even remember your name."

There was a bright grin on her face, knowing that she was getting to me. Despite how hard I tried to keep my temper down I let my anger get the best of me. "Shut up!" I yelled.

The people in District 2 were likely laughing but the people in the Capitol were cheering me on. I let that motivate me. I raised up to try and hit her. Just as I did she laughed and reeled back to punch me in the face. I fell from the sudden contact. My vision was completely blurred. She was laughing but I couldn't see her face. Only a heavy veil of dark brown hair that hung down over her shoulders as she laid herself over me. For a few moment I laid there, trying to get my vision back together. Once it had finally returned to its normal state she leaned down and smiled when she saw the hurt in my eyes.

She laughed as she drug a small knife over my face, clearly ready for me to suffer. "Did I hurt your feelings?" she asked in a baby voice. I grunted as she started to put pressure on her knife. The tip of the blade dug into my face and I hissed at the pain. "Now, it's too bad you couldn't help your little friend." My attention shot to her. "That little girl... what was her name again? Rue? Yeah. Well we killed her. And now... We're gonna kill you..."

"I'll kill you, Clove," I snarled.

"Sure. Now, where to start?"

All I had to do was shift a few inches. I could get the knife that she had dropped. I could take a few scars. If I could pretend that she was only making me jump in pain I could shift over to it. She carelessly wiped away the blood from my wound with her jacket sleeve. For a moment she surveyed my face, tilting it from side to side as if it was a block of wood and she was deciding exactly what pattern to carve on it. I attempted to bite her hand but she grabbed the hair on the top of my head and forced me back to the ground.

"I think... I think we'll start with your mouth," Clove almost purred. "I'd like to see Cato try to kiss you now."

At least he wants to kiss me. But I didn't say anything because I didn't really know if she ever had feelings for Cato. I clamped my teeth together as she teasingly traced the outline of my lips with the tip of the blade. I wouldn't close my eyes. The comment about Rue had filled me with fury, enough fury to convince me to die with some dignity. As my last act of defiance, I would stare her down as long as I could see, which probably wouldn't be an extended period of time, but I would stare her down and I wouldn't cry out. I would die, in my own small way, undefeated.

And if I could shift us I would take her out with me. "Yes, I don't think you'll have much use for your lips anymore. Want to blow Cato one last kiss?" she asked. In response I worked up a mouthful of blood and saliva and spat it straight in her face. The Capitol would be hooting with laughter. District 2 would be snarling with rage. She flushed with rage too. "All right then. Let's get started."

But a sudden desire to not die took over. My plan would have originally resulted in her disfiguring me. And I didn't want to be disfigured. So I started to kick and thrash around. Clove was clearly shocked at my reaction and she had to gain her bearings again to ensure that I didn't throw her off of me. With every little shake I got closer to throwing her off and the knife got closer to me. I was almost within reach of the knife when her entire body weight was lifted off of me. I coughed for a moment and wondered what the hell had happened before a familiar voice rang out close to where we had been lying.

"You kill her?" Thresh hissed at Clove, holding her up to the edge of the Cornucopia by her throat.

My jaw almost dropped. Clove stared at him with fear in her eyes. She wasn't afraid of me because we had the same skills and we were about the same size. But Thresh was about three times her size and matched Cato in physical strength. And without being able to get to her knives she was powerless against him. As I sat up I realized that the District 11 bag was on the ground not far from me and we had somehow managed to close in on the Cornucopia. I guessed that while we were fighting we had rolled past the table. She struggled against Thresh but he held her roughly against the metal cone.

"No!" Clove panted.

"I heard you!"

"Cato!" she screamed.

"You said her name!"

"Cato!"

"You said her name!"

If he wasn't awake before he was now. She was louder than me. I grimaced at her voice. He threw her back against the Cornucopia and I gasped at the crash that rang out. He likely broke at least a few bones judging by her whimpering. My problem now was that Cato would be on his way over here. I had hoped that I would be able to kill her and get away with the bags and make it back before he ever woke up. He would have been pissed but at least I could sit him down and explain to him what had happened. I had no idea what would happen now.

I jumped at his rough voice that he evidently hadn't used in the two weeks or so that we had been in the arena. For a moment I wondered if the Death Match would happen here but that didn't make sense. We were still missing three Tributes. Thresh turned her over and slammed her back against the ground. She saw it at the same time I did. The giant rock that he was holding. Thresh brought it down against her skull three times, crushing it in. She wasn't quite dead yet. Her chest was still rising and falling extremely slowly. But it was too late for her.

"For Rue!" Thresh growled. He dropped her limp body and the rock and I jumped as her lifeless body fell in front of me with her eyes wide open. Thresh walked over to me and held his hand out for me to take. "Are you alright?"

Taking in a few deep breaths I grabbed his hand and let him pull me to him. "Yes," I said softly. I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his torso. He stiffened for a moment but slowly relaxed his body and hugged me back. "Thank you, Thresh." My body twisted and the wound on my stomach twisted painfully. I managed to keep quiet though and I finally released him. "Are you alright?"

He hadn't been injured during his fight with Clove but I was sure that smashing her head in had done some serious mental damage. I couldn't blame him for that one. A cannon boomed loudly and I jumped as I turned back to Clove's body. She almost looked like she was sleeping if her eyes hadn't been opened.

"I'm fine," he said.

Maybe he was stronger than I thought that he was. "Good timing," I whispered.

"You would have been able to take her. I just heard her say Rue's name," he said.

It was nice that at least someone here believed in me. "I figured you were around here somewhere," I muttered.

"I saw her face in the sky the other night. The boy from District 1 and the boy from District 3 was up there too. You know what happened?" he asked.

I felt my chest tighten. I wasn't sure how fond of me Thresh would be after he realized what had happened. Slowly I nodded to him and let out a few deep breaths. My stomach and leg hurt like hell from Clove and I hated thinking about everything that had happened the other day. No matter how much I had to push past it, it still hurt to remember.

"Yeah I do," I finally said. Thresh watched me carefully. "I met up with Rue after dropping a nest of Tracker Jackers on the Careers. That's what killed Glimmer, the girl from District 1. Rue helped save me. We stayed together for two days when we came up with a plan to destroy the Careers supplies. I had her light a fire and I told her to run while I blew them up. It worked but when I went back to find her I realized that she had been followed by Marvel. He grabbed her and told me that I would help him kill Cato or he'd kill her and I agreed. But he went back on his word and killed her. I killed him," I said.

At the end I tilted my head down to the ground. I didn't want to see what he thought of me now. We were both silent for a while before Thresh sighed and I looked up to him. He looked hurt that he had lost Rue but he didn't look angry with me. Maybe he wouldn't kill me for what had happened to her. Maybe he had realized that the whole thing had been a stupid accident. He finally shook his head at me and I cocked mine to the side.

"You didn't have to do that. But thank you for being with her."

"Of course."

"She loved you a lot. She looked up to you," he said.

Despite what I was feeling, I smiled slightly. I tried to think about what I could say back to him but I had no idea. As I was about to tell him that I was sorry for his loss a loud call come from the woods, not far from where we were.

"Clove!" Cato shouted.

He had heard her but he likely hadn't heard my call. Of course she had been a lot louder and more desperate than I had been. My breath caught in my throat as I turned back and looked at the young girl whose corpse laid on the ground near my feet. Judging by the sound of his shout I could tell that he wasn't far from us. We probably had less than a minute before he got here and I didn't want him to take out his anger on Thresh. Not here. Not yet.

"Thresh you need to go. Thresh go!" I yelled. Finally he tore his look away from the woods and looked back at me. "Cato is coming and he won't be very happy with you for killing her. She was still his friend and his partner."

He shook his head at me. He pulled the sword from his sheath and I felt my heart sink. This couldn't happen, not yet. Neither one was in a good state to fight the other right now. Thresh was damaged from just realizing what had happened to his friend and he had just brutally killed Clove. Cato on the other hand, was about to see his friend dead.

"No, I'll take care of him now," Thresh growled.

He took a few steps to where Cato's call had come from. Dashing to meet back up with Thresh I grabbed his hand and pulled him back to me, shaking my head quickly. This fight wouldn't end well for either of them. They were going to forget technique and just fight on anger. And that wouldn't end well.

"Don't. Not while he's mad. You won't win this fight, I promise you that," I said.

There was a brief anger that flashed through his eyes for a moment. "I can take him," he said.

"You might not. Don't risk it," I said. He slowly nodded at me and slipped his sword back into its sheath. "Go now, before it's too late."

Cato would be here soon and I knew that we didn't have much longer. Maybe we should have camped farther out then we actually had. This might have gone a little better had we done that. "What about you? Come on, you can come back with me," he said.

I found myself caught in my place. Thresh was my friend but I loved Cato. "Thresh..." I muttered.

"But you don't want to," he said softly.

I found myself nodding sadly. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

"You did fall in love with him out here, didn't you?"

"Unfortunately."

He sighed but nodded to me anyways. "Be careful with him, Aspen," Thresh warned.

Nodding at him slowly I walked up to him and pushed him gently back to the area where the wheat field was. "I will," I promised. He nodded at me. "Now go before he gets here. He's close."

Turning away from him I waited to see Cato jump from the bushes but before I saw the blonde haired Tribute I heard Thresh call back from behind me. I turned back and raised my eyebrow at him. "Hey. Just know that when it comes time for the end I will fight him. And I will try to make it back home," he said.

He had an expression that was between sorrow and anger. Once more I nodded at him and gave him the tiniest smile that I possibly could. "I know that. I wouldn't expect anything else. Now go!" I yelled. He began to walk away. I slowly turned back to where Clove lay and walked over to her. "I'll take care of him," I said more to myself than Thresh.

"Get some medicine on your head," Thresh warned.

"I will. Go!"

Before I leaned down to the younger girl I looked back to be sure that Thresh was gone. I saw the bushes rustle as he blew through them and I took a deep breath. Thankfully he was gone. Cato would never need to know what had happened. I didn't want him to know. He wouldn't take the truth behind her death well.

Carefully I leaned down to where Clove was lying and I slipped my fingers over her eyes. I slipped her eyelids shut and sighed when I turned back to look at her. She wasn't exactly a good person and I wasn't really fond of her but that didn't mean that she deserved a death like this. She didn't deserve me to desecrate her body. I wished her family a silent prayer and stood from my spot. Carefully I took one of my throwing knives and rubbed the cold blade over my stomach before pulling my jacket over it. I made sure that my blade was soaked in my own blood before I stood and waited for Cato.

He wasn't extraordinarily fast but he would be here soon enough. Just as I wondered where the Tribute was I heard a loud crash and I watched as he launched himself through the trees. He was panicked. His face was bright red and I knew that he must have been woken up by Clove's call. I supposed that the sound of the cannon had terrified him. And he knew that by Clove's shout it was for her, not me. He came dashing forward and his eyes briefly flicked to me but seeing that I was still standing he turned his face back to his District partner.

"Clove! No," he cried out. He dropped to his knees, gathering her body in his hands. "Hey, come on. Look at me." I felt my heart break for him. I wasn't fond of her but I did feel bad for him. I knew what it was like to lose a friend. "Damn it!"

I jumped as he laid her body back on the ground, still keeping her head in his hands. It was the first time that I had really seen the two of them be friends. It was strange that it was in her death. Slowly I walked over to him and took a seat in the grass. My entire body was throbbing in pain from the fight but I refused to show it. He was hurting right now and I didn't want to say anything to piss him off. He was upset enough as is. Still I had to wonder why he looked so torn up over her death.

"I thought you said that when the time came you would fight her and you would kill her," I whispered. I had expected him to retaliate against me angrily but he just sat there like he hadn't even heard me in the first place. I sighed and put my hand gently on his shoulder. "At least you don't have to be the one to do it now. You never laid a hand on her."

He finally looked up at me. His eyes locked on the blood gushing down my forehead and I brushed it away to show him that it looked worse than it was. He brushed the hairs that I had knocked free during our fight from her face and he kissed her softly on the cheek. In that moment I felt my heart get torn in two. I hadn't seen much of the gentle side of Cato and it was weird for me. But it was also nice to see him act like a human being.

"That was never what it was about," he said.

I glanced over to him. "So what was it about?" I asked.

"We knew that we were going to have to kill each other. That was what we had planned for. The best one would win and the other would die knowing that at least they had tried. It was never in our minds that someone else would kill one of us. We thought that we were indestructible," he said.

I nodded slowly despite the fact that he wasn't looking at me. "That's a Career thing. They all learn it at some point," I whispered.

"What happened?"

It wasn't like he was crying but I could see the emotions flitting through his eyes. He stared at me waiting for an answer and I took a breath in. He couldn't know exactly what had happened. He would get up and run after Thresh. I couldn't just sell out my friend. Not when he had been the one to save me not even five minutes ago.

"I came to get the bags. I'm sorry, I should have told you," I said.

"I had a feeling you would."

"While I was running with them she came and attacked me. I didn't know what else to do so I killed her," I said, hoping that Cato would take the news better if he had thought that I had killed her.

Cato stared at me for a moment and I waited for him to say something. I waited for him to attack me or to yell at me but he never did. Eventually he merely laughed and shook his head. "Liar," he said.

The color drained from my face. "I'm not," I said.

"Tell me what really happened. She's got two arrow wounds and a few knife wounds. None of them would have killed her. The back of her head is smashed in. Your bow has some blood on it but it's not tough enough to take the impact that killed her. So clearly if you killed her you didn't use that knife. Something blunt hit her and it hit her hard. Harder then you could do. So, what happened? The truth, Aspen," he said.

My stomach twisted nervously. He was a better detective than I'd thought that he was. He knew that it wasn't me. There was no real way to tell what was going to be better. Should I tell Cato the truth or should I still try and cover up for Thresh? I thought about it for a moment and sighed. I had to tell him the truth. He already knew that it wasn't me who had killed her so I might as well just save the fight and tell him the truth.

"I really did come out here to grab the bags. I thought that we needed them. Everything was fine until Clove attacked me when I was running back. She knocked me over and we fought for a while. We were pretty evenly matched and then - then Thresh grabbed her," I said. The anger immediately radiated through Cato's eyes. I knew that he wasn't fond of Thresh but this must have made it ten times worse. "She had mentioned that you had all killed Rue and he interrogated her about it. That's when she called your name. He smashed her head with a rock until she was dead."

For a while he sat there in silence until he gently laid down her head on the grass and said a soft goodbye to her. I sighed deeply as he stood to look at me. He towered over me but he wasn't trying to scare me, he was only staring at me. Trying to figure out what it had been that he was missing.

"Well that all makes sense to me except for one part. You said that Thresh killed her right?" he asked.

"Yes."

"How come you're still alive then?"

My stomach twisted again as I let out a little breath. There were two options. I could lie and say that I had run away from him while he was taking care of Clove and I hadn't come back until he had left. Or I could tell him the truth. I sighed, knowing that the scene would be played in the highlights of the Games anyways. He might as well know now.

"He let me go. For Rue. For everything that I did for her. He spared my life because it was his way of thanking me for taking care of her when he wasn't there," I said, leaving out the part where he had offered to take me with him.

He sat there for a moment before scoffing and twisting the roots of the grass on the ground. "How nice of him," he growled, standing up.

I stood after him and watched as he turned to the area of the wheat field, right where Thresh was hiding. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm gonna kill him," Cato growled, beginning to march off to where Thresh was waiting for the end of the Games.

I jumped forward and grabbed Cato's arm, pulling him back to me. "Stop," I warned.

He whipped around angrily and I gulped deeply at his dark glare. "Get off of me, Aspen. Now," he hissed.

Part of me wanted to let him go and hunt down Thresh but I refused to let that happen to the District 11 boy. So I kept my hand on his arm and let it snake up to his chest. "Please, Cato, don't. You're angry and this is a bad time to take care of him. You aren't going to be thinking straight. He could get the upper hand and kill you," I said.

"He won't."

"He might. You're not indestructible. You just said it. You won't be using strategy, just anger. Come on, please."

He stared at me and for a moment I thought that he was going to listen to me but he finally shook his head and pushed past me. "Don't follow me," he warned.

"Stop!"

"Go back to the woods. I'll be there soon."

"I'm not telling you not to do it, I'm just saying please don't do it now! Cato, stop!" I yelled.

Faster than I had thought was possible, Cato whipped back around and marched over so that he was towering over me with a furious gaze. "Why?" he yelled.

I jumped at the severe raise in his voice. "I just told you why!" I shouted back.

He lowered his voice as he realized that he had startled me but the fury was still in his eyes. He looked very surprised that I had dared yell back at him. I figured that he didn't really mean what he was saying, he was just angry that he had lost his friend to a Tribute he was determined to kill. I knew that I shouldn't take anything he said too seriously.

"What the hell do you care if I go after him? What do you care what happens?" he hissed.

His face was a deep red. From anger or hurt I wasn't quite sure. Honestly I wasn't really sure what it was that had come over me. But a sudden flash of anger shot through me and I saw red. Without thinking about the repercussions I pulled my hand back and slapped Cato across the face. I could hear the shocked gasps from the Capitol in the back on my mind. He looked back at me with the anger dissipated from his eyes, now replaced by shock.

"How could you even say something like that? Because I love you, you idiot!" I screamed, without realizing what I had even just said. Maybe had I been a little less mad I would have seen the shock in his eyes. "I don't want you to go and do something stupid. And... Damn you! I've never said that before and this was not the way that I wanted to say it! How could you even think that you mean so little to me after everything that we've been through? You are such a -"

Half of me was glad that he had shut me up but the other part wanted to keep ranting to him. It was the first time that I had yelled freely like that in a long time and I just wanted to keep going. There was so much that I had to yell about. When we were back home Gale used to take me out into the woods so I could scream and yell about whatever was annoying me. It was one of my favorite things to do, just getting the anger out.

Cato pushed his face to mine and he shoved me back to the open area around the Cornucopia. His mouth was pressed roughly against mine and he had his hand pressed against the back of my head. The blood was rushing down his forehead now but he didn't stop. Our hips were grinding roughly together. I could tell that he was taking his frustrations out on me. And I was taking mine out on him. I never wanted him to stop. I wanted nothing more than for him to lay us down and let me take out all of the stress on him but he pulled away from me. I took a few deep breaths in, hardly able to breathe now.

"Shut up," he said.

I couldn't help but to laugh. "Thanks," I whispered.

"Come on, I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry, Aspen, all right?"

"It's okay. You were upset. I know."

"Come on, let's go back."

Slowly I nodded at him. My leg was a little bit hard to walk on - and they were sore anyways from the impacts - so Cato wound an arm around my waist, being careful to avoid my stomach wound, as he helped me back to our little hideout. There were only six of us left now. Finch, Peeta, Coral, Thresh, Cato, and me. My odds of winning had just increased. We slowly made our way back to the area we had come from, both taking deep breaths. Cato was holding the District 2 bag and I still had the one for District 12 bag on my back.

"Let's see what the hell was so important about these stupid packs," Cato snarled.

I nodded. It was killing me, not knowing what was in these packs. "Finally," I groaned.

"So... You really love me, huh?" he asked smugly, after a moment of silence.

I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at him. He wasn't facing me but I knew that he wore a huge smirk. "What?" I stupidly asked him. "No! It - It was just something that I said because you upset me and it was the only thing that I could think to say. Don't get so cocky with yourself because you aren't that -"

"I love you too," he said softly.

This time he turned back and stared at me with a smile. "What?" I stupidly asked again.

He snorted at me and I couldn't help but to shove him. He laughed at me and put an arm over my shoulders. I smiled at his warmth and let myself tuck into his side. I hated to admit it but I loved him more than anything. He was the reason that I was alive and he was the reason that I kept fighting. He stroked my back slowly and I almost didn't realize that he was drawing his name into my back. The Capitol audience must have been besides themselves with glee. As we continued to walk he smirked and pressed a soft kiss on my head. I giggled lightly and nearly slapped myself.

I might have loved him but I was not the type to giggle like a love struck teenager. "You heard me," Cato said.

"Yes... I did."

"Don't get all girly on me now."

"Do I look girly?" I snapped.

"Not with the blood pouring down your face," Cato said.

"Thank your stupid friend," I snarled.

"It's hot," Cato said, making me snort. "Just because I said it doesn't mean that you get to act like anything is different."

I nodded with a sweet grin on my face. "I wasn't planning on it," I said seriously.

"How much did Clove get to you? Besides the face," Cato asked.

I hadn't said anything about any injuries. How did he know? "What?" I asked.

He laughed at me and shook his head. "I don't care if you were in a fight with her and Thresh saved you or whatever the hell happened. She had to have gotten you more than the face. How?" he asked.

Leaning down I yanked up the pant leg and showed him the long cut from where Clove had gotten me when I had fallen. Once he nodded at me I dropped the leg and raised up my shirt to show him the nasty cut that she had made in my stomach. The one in my forehead was obvious enough.

"She got me once on the shin and in the stomach. The head, too, obviously. Nothing too serious but it hurts. I'd rather have something for the burns though," I said.

Cato turned to me. "Burns?" he asked.

I slipped the jacket off of my shoulder. "Burns. When I blew up your supplies," I said.

"Payback."

Turning to Cato, I slipped the jacket back on and smacked him. Cato chuckled, knowing that he was right. I gently ran a hand over the arm where my burns were. They didn't have the stinging burn anymore but there was a constant throb that got even worse when I moved. Burn cream was the only thing that I could think that I needed. We arrived back at the area we had been in last night and I sighed as I dropped the two bags that I had picked up during the feast. I dropped to the ground and Cato came down behind me. We sat together and stared at the packs, nervous that it was either a trap or it would be totally useless.

"You're going to need to get something on those," Cato said.

"I know."

"With the Death Match right around the corner we don't need you getting injured or infected. There's only six of us left with Clove gone. Three girls and three guys. They're ready to get rid of us," he said.

"I know. It's going to be soon."

"Another day or two. What do you say? Who opens their pack first?" he asked.

Honestly I wanted to just rip them open but I was terrified that something in them was a trap. So I stared at both. Despite the fact that I wanted to know what the Gamemakers thought that I needed I was more concerned with what was in the gigantic pack for District 2. I wanted to know that my trip had at least been made for something. Whatever was in there was tough. It had stopped one of Clove's knives. So I sighed and motioned for him to grab the District 2 pack. He did so and stared at me, waiting for me to say something.

"I was starting to think that nothing is actually in mine. So you go first," I said.

"There's something in yours. This is huge."

"It stopped one of Clove's knives."

He nodded and went through his pack, pulling out black pieces of what looked like a thin metal. "What the hell is that? It looks like some sort of armor," I said, as he held up a piece that looked like a shirt.

"It must be if it stopped one of Clove's knives."

"What do you need armor for?" I asked, more myself than him.

Out of curiosity I took a piece of the armor and grabbed a knife that was sitting on the ground. I stabbed at the armor but no matter how hard I tried to puncture the chest restraint it wouldn't budge. I even backed up slightly and threw the knife at the armor but it left no visible mark. Not even a scratch. Even an arrow launched from twenty feet did nothing. Whatever this was for was perfect. Nothing would pierce it. The people in the Capitol had given this to Cato because they wanted him to live. It was amazing. He would only be vulnerable to head shots. Although it might slow him down a little.

Maybe just using the chest piece would be smarter. Cato grabbed the chest piece from me and shrugged his jacket and shirt off. I blushed lightly as he turned to me with a smirk. He dropped down beside me with the chest piece in hand and I scoffed. He was only doing it to try and get to me.

"The Death Match," he finally said.

I looked over to him, wondering what he was talking about. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"The Gamemakers are trying to hint at something that's coming. But what do you think that this means? Maybe someone else has a long distance weapon?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No," I said.

For the most part I was really the only person left who used a long distance weapon and I wasn't going to hurt him. As far as I knew everyone else was relatively close-up. The only thing that made any sense was that they expected him to be around something sharp. A weapon? Maybe but probably not. No, it was something else. All of a sudden I was thrown back to my time with the wolf mutt and I gasped loudly. Cato turned to me to check if I was okay and I shook my head.

"No. A mutt," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"It has to be. They're bringing some type of mutt to the Death Match."

"Why would they do that?"

For a moment we were both quiet. "Because they don't think it'll be bloody enough without them," I said. "They think that our fights will be fast and relatively bloodless. They love the blood probably more than they love us. They want to make the final fight one to remember."

"You gonna be okay?" Cato asked, probably remembering my fondness for the wolf mutt.

"Gotta be. They gave you the armor because they love you and want to see you win. They don't want you to get hurt," I said.

"What about you?" Cato asked.

"I'm fast." Cato gave me a concerned look as I tucked my feet underneath myself. We waited in silence for a beat before I finally sighed and grabbed the bag with the white twelve painted in it. "So my turn I guess?"

"Go for it."

Slowly I opened the pack and pulled out a small vile of medicine. I snorted at the sight of it and rolled my eyes. This was what they were going to give Peeta. Part of me felt bad for taking it. He needed it and it would save his life. But now I needed it. Not that they had any idea that I was going to get injured with Clove. But then it hit me. Had they just not given me anything? Did I really risk my life and nearly die just to grab Cato something and get screwed over myself?

"Medicine? How did they know that Clove was going to injure you?" Cato asked.

I nearly slapped him for asking something so stupid. Rolling my eyes I handed the vile over to Cato who took it and rolled it around in his hands. "It wasn't for me. It was for Peeta," I said.

He nodded at the memory of when he had injured Peeta. "I thought that he'd be dead by now," Cato said.

"Someone probably sent him a Sponsor gift. I guess in the meantime I can use it for my injuries," I said.

Suddenly I went digging back through the bag. There had to be something else in there. At first I didn't grab onto anything and I tilted my head to the side. There should have been something for everyone. Where was my prize? I searched through a few more times and each time I moved my hand around I caught nothing else in the bag. Assholes! There was nothing in here for me.

"Hang on, there's nothing else in here! What the hell, where's my thing? Damn it, I risked my life for this thing!" I shouted loudly.

Grabbing the bag out of my hands Cato grabbed mine and shook me so that I stayed still. "Hey, calm down. There has to be something in it. Give me that," he said.

There was a chance that I would have ripped it anyways, I was so annoyed. I should have figured that there would be nothing for me. They hated me. Cato grabbed the bag free of my grip. He dug through the bag for a moment before he stopped and raised one of his eyebrows. I leaned towards him and watched as he looked into the small bag.

"Aspen, there is something in here."

"What?"

"It's a letter. It has your name on it," he said, pulling out a little white envelope.

"That's helpful," I growled.

"Did Haymitch write this? Whose handwriting is that?"

My mind went shooting back to the memory of when President Snow sent me a letter in the arena. I took a deep breath and grabbed the letter from Cato. Another letter from President Snow was definitely not something that I wanted. I glanced down at the signature and let out a shaky sigh. It wasn't from the President. The writing was wrong.

"I don't know. It isn't Haymitch, the writing is too small. It isn't Katniss's either, she doesn't write in cursive. Gale has more of a block type signature, and Prim still writes in the little kid scrawl. I've never seen this writing before," I said honestly.

The writing was medium sized and loopy, with my first name scrawled neatly across the middle of the envelope. Slowly Cato scooted so that he was facing me and not glancing over at the letter. I nodded him a thanks for respecting my privacy and took in a deep breath.

"Well, read it. See what it says. Apparently it's something that you needed," he said.

Carefully I opened the letter and pulled out the crisp white page that was on the inside of it. "I would have rather had burn cream," I muttered.

"Better be something saying that we won a vacation after this," Cato muttered. I laughed loudly before shoving him and glancing down to read the long letter.

Aspen,

Hello, my dear. There is no simple way to write this. I wish that I didn't have to write this. But I have to. Just in case. I suppose that if this letter ever gets to you it means that you don't know who I am. So let me explain. My name is Emilia Antaeus. I am your mother.

My hand shot to my mouth and I let out a small squeak. The Capitol audience would likely be standing pressed against the screens to see what was happening. They would be dying to know what the letter was. Everyone would be dying to know what the letter was. Even Cato was. Cato's hand rested on my thigh and I took a deep breath before reading down the letter again.

If you're reading this it means that I was Reaped into the Games and I didn't live through them. It's something that I've feared for the last two years. But I knew that it would come. I always knew that it would come. I'm sorry that it did. I gave Haymitch Abernathy this letter and told him to give it to you when the time is right. There are only two reasons that you would be getting this letter. Either way, the time must be right. I wish that it wasn't. I wish that I could keep you in the dark for a little while longer. But there are things that I must tell you.

Aspen, you need to know that your father and I loved you so much. I still love you. I will always love you. Even though he never got the chance to know you he was always giving you little nicknames as we walked through the streets. So many of them. Each one better than the last. It broke his heart when he realized that he wouldn't be able to make it back to you. His loss broke my heart. But I had you. I was determined to raise you and I did. You were the light of my life. You still are. But the time came where I was taken and now I fear that I won't get to see you grow up.

In fact I will get to see you grow up. Maybe not in the same place but I know that I will be looking down on you. And I will be smiling the whole time, no matter what you do. I'm so sorry that I won't be there to watch you grow up. I'm sorry that I won't be there to raise you. But you are with a good family. The Everdeen's. They are good friends of mine. They were good friends of your father's too. They have a daughter a little younger than you. Her name is Katniss. She was just born a few weeks ago. I hope that the two of you will eventually be friends.

There is another family that will look after you. The Hawthorne's. They have a son your age named Gale and I think he'll turn into quite the charming young man. You two play together sometimes. I doubt that you'll remember those days but it was quite something to watch. You both seemed very fond of each other. But that doesn't matter for now. You will choose your own friends and your own path in life. I know that you will only pick those who are worthy of your attention.

Aspen, you should know that when the time comes that you receive this letter, it means that you are in the arena. This is one of two letters that I am writing. This is the one that I hope you never receive, but I fear that you will. I don't want you to make this all about revenge. Please, when you go into those Games don't take a life unless it is truly necessary. I know that you will be a strong girl for me. For your father. I know that you can do this. I know that you can do what your father and I couldn't.

Remember the one thing that drives most Victors mad. Don't blame a death on yourself. No matter what. Don't let these Games break you. They can't. I have faith in that. You are strong. I can see it now, even before your second birthday. You will be the strongest person in that arena. Be the strong girl that I know you are. Fight your way out of these Games and then go home. Find yourself a good man and get married. Have a family. Love them. Get to have the life that I never got to have and be happy. Your happiness is all that I want. I know that you can be. It's what you deserve.

Don't go searching for trouble. If you're anything like your father you will be a natural-born troublemaker. I hope that you are. Your father was always happy when he was causing some type of trouble. It used to make me want to pull my hair out. But it's okay. Now I wish that I could see his laughing face again. I will soon. One day you will too. Please don't let that be for a long time. I want to see you again. But not until you've had a long and successful life. The one that I know that you can have. The one that you know that you can have.

Don't let them get to you. Anyone. The other Tributes will use your father and me against you but don't you let them. You be strong and you be sure that when I do see you again, it won't be for a very long time. I wish I could write to you and tell you everything about myself and you but I can't. I don't have time. One day Haymitch will tell you. Now it is almost time for my Interview. Caesar Flickerman is the new Master of Ceremonies this year. He seems nice. He's wearing this horrible pink suit though. My time writing to you is up but please, Aspen, don't ever lose your faith. There will always be people rooting for you.

And know that, no matter what, I'm rooting for you.

Your loving mother.

Before I even realized what was happening Cato wiped a tear from my eyes and pulled me into him. Within the minute I was full-force sobbing as Cato hushed and consoled me. I buried my face into his shoulder and coughed roughly as he pushed his lips onto my forehead. The people all over Panem must have been absolutely silent. They would have wanted to know what I had just read. They would want to know what had made me react the way that I did. I wondered if Caesar or Claudius would tell them. If they even knew what it was.

Maybe this was the one thing that they would let me have to myself. Cato ran his thumb in circles over my thigh and tore another large hole in my pants. He took the vile that contained Peeta's medicine and rubbed it over where Clove had cut me before raising my shirt and beginning to rub it in my stomach. I would have hissed at the pain but my mind was somewhere else. In the meantime Cato wiped away my bloody forehead and gently rubbed the medicine in. Once I had reread the note I handed it to Cato. He stared at me with a confused face.

"Here, I know you want to read it," I said so softly that I had barely heard myself.

Not that I really could hear anything anyways. My tears were slowly leaking out as Cato kept his grip tightly on me. He didn't move while he knew that I couldn't. Nothing could have forced me to move from my spot right now. He gingerly lifted the note out of my hands and I watched as his eyes flitted over the words. Every once in a while a look of pain or confusion would pass over his face. And then there were the understanding nods and the occasional amused smile.

"It seems you got your attitude from your father," he said, in an attempt to joke with me. But I merely stared at him with a blank face. "She sounds like she really loved you, Aspen."

"I know."

"What happened to her wasn't your fault. Look at me," he said. I glanced up at him. "The wounds are taken care of for now and we're safe. Don't think about this right now."

Carefully I folded the note back up into my own bag and sighed as I gently ran my hand over it. Seventeen years ago my mother had written that note. The mother that I had never known. The mother that I wanted nothing more than to be here to tell me that everything would be alright. The mother that I wanted to go back to. Cato held me in his lap as I tried to fight off the tears. I didn't want to cry anymore. Slowly I started running my hand over my ear again, praying that some of the hearing had come back.

"Are you okay?" Cato asked.

"My ear."

"Did something happen with Clove?" Cato asked confusedly.

"What? No." For a moment I forgot that he never knew that I had half-deafened myself. "My right ear. That's the way that I was facing when I blew up your supplies. I deafened myself. I can't hear," I explained.

Cato looked shocked. "You half-deafened yourself?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why do you think I keep asking you to repeat yourself?" I pointed out.

Cato looked like he was thinking back on it when he nodded blankly. Something in both of us had changed. "You must hate that," Cato commented.

My laughter was very dry and definitely humorless. "I do. I'm a hunter. I need my ears more than my eyes," I admitted.

"When we get back they'll fix it," Cato said.

Was there any type of medicine that could even fix my ear? There was a good chance that I would be half-deaf for the rest of my life. "Maybe. It's pretty bad. I literally can't hear anything," I said.

Cato sighed and pulled me back into him. He spread his legs slightly so that I could lay on his chest in between them. He started running his fingers through my hair comfortingly. "Was Thresh injured at all when you saw him?" Cato finally asked.

"No. I don't think so."

"Okay. I'll just kill him the old-fashioned way when the time comes."

His voice was stone-cold. He didn't sound like he wanted to do it. Or maybe he was just so done with the entire Games that he just didn't care anymore. It was a little strange to see him like that. I didn't like it. So I put my hand back and gently started running it over Cato's thighs. I didn't want Cato to kill Thresh at all. I didn't want anyone else to die. But that was absolutely not the kind of thing that Victors went around saying in the arena. Despite my best efforts, I could feel tears starting to pool in my eyes again. Cato looked down at me in concern.

"What is it? Are you in a lot of pain?" Cato asked.

Even if I was, I couldn't have admitted it. We would lose Sponsors. So I gave him a different answer, because it was equally true but could be taken as a brief moment of weakness instead of a terminal one. "I want to go home, Cato," I said plaintively, like a small child.

There was something pained in his eyes. "You will. I promise," he said.

For a moment he bent down and gave me a lingering kiss. But there was something weak in it. Clove's death must have taken more out of him than he admitted. "I want to go home now," I said.

"Me too," Cato admitted. It almost surprised me. "Tell you what. You go back to sleep and dream of home. And you'll be there for real before you know it. Okay?"

"Okay. Wake me if you need me to keep watch," I said.

"I'm good and rested, thanks to you," Cato teased. I smiled and leaned back on him, almost immediately falling asleep.

It looked to be late in the morning of the next day when I woke up. I groaned and pushed an arm over my eyes. I vaguely remembered hearing the anthem play in my sleep. Cato was sharpening his sword again. He would start losing chunks of it if he kept scratching at it but I decided to leave him be. I noticed that he was sitting right next to me with my head in his lap. He had only shifted slightly while I was asleep. He had also placed the sleeping bag over me while I was asleep. Cato looked down at me and smiled.

"Good morning," he said.

I pushed some hair out of my eyes. "Was I out all night?" I asked groggily.

"Yes. It's fine. Nothing that interesting happened. Clove was the only one we lost at the feast," Cato said.

For a moment a flash of emotion shot through his eyes. "I'm sorry. Kind of," I muttered.

"It's okay. We got a pretty big Sponsor gift last night. I saved it for breakfast," Cato said.

"Thanks."

"It was for you. Here's the note," Cato said. I took it and opened it.

Almost done. Hang in there. You'll be home soon -H

For me... How was it not for Cato? Maybe people were finally starting to see the difference between a Career and an actual volunteer. As I opened the canister I gasped. Inside were fresh rolls, goat cheese, apples, and best of all, a tureen of that incredible lamb stew on wild rice. The very dish that I told Caesar Flickerman was the most impressive thing the Capitol had to offer. It made a grin turn up on my lips as we finished eating the meal. It didn't take us long to finish it. We were both starving.

"Someone in the Capitol thinks that they're funny," I said.

"What's that?"

"The lamb stew. It's the one that I told Caesar Flickerman that I loved so much. Well… Thank you to whoever was listening," I said.

"Someone really likes you," Cato said.

I turned to him and smiled weakly. "A fault on their part, I suppose," I said.

He grinned at me and got to his feet. "I'll be right back," Cato said.

Cato went to stand and in a sudden panic of losing his contact I caught his arm and pulled him back down to me. "Come here. Please," I begged him softly.

"What is it?" Cato asked.

"Everything," I whispered.

He looked at the broken look in my eyes and nodded as he took his spot back besides me. There was something in me that had snapped. I just wanted to be around him right now. I wanted to be out of the arena. I wanted to be somewhere else. I wanted to be anywhere else. We had been here too long. Everything was starting to weigh on me. For a few minutes he sat with me leaning onto his chest. It was comforting. He was spreading warmth through my cold body but I wanted something more. For the first time in my life I wanted physical comfort. And not the hugs that I would get from Gale, Katniss, or Prim.

Not. I wanted something more. Something that I had never thought that I would want. I wanted something that would make me completely forget about the pain. Please take Prim out of the room, Katniss. Gale too for that matter. Without giving him any warning I climbed onto Cato's lap and faced him. He was about to ask me what I was doing when I shook my head and pressed my mouth roughly to his. I could tell that I had surprised him as he stiffened at first, but he quick relaxed.

For the time being I wanted to forget that all of Panem was watching. I didn't care. For just a moment I believed that we weren't both in the Hunger Games. We were just two kids that had gotten caught up in each other. His hands wound their way around me and I smiled as they wrapped in my hair. He tugged lightly at the roots and I did something that I had never done before. I did something that would likely launch Gale into a very long and loud tirade. I let out the tiniest of moans and Cato's face turned upwards in a smirk. I bit down on his lip roughly and he hissed, opening his mouth slightly.

Our tongues wound together, both battling for dominance. But it was clear that neither one of us could win this fight. His hands traveled up my torso and flitted over my chest. They landed on the zipper of my jacket and I smirked as he quickly tugged it down. Helping him, I shrugged out of the garment and let him raise my shirt over my head. He backed off to look at me and I felt the heat raise up to my face. Not that he hadn't seen it before. He'd seen more than that before. But it was from an injury.

Every time that someone had seen me like that it had been because I was injured. The only men besides Cato to have ever seen me like this were Gale and his brothers. And that had only been because they had been trying to help me after a stupid hunting accident. It was always an accident. This was the first time that I really enjoyed the fact that I wasn't wearing anything. I wanted to be wearing even less. I wanted to have nothing separating us. He clearly shared the sentiment.

Shocking me, Cato pushed me back onto the ground and I grunted as my back came in contact with the dirt. I was still sore from the fight with Clove. Cato hovered over me and I stared into his eyes. The normal light blue color was gone and they were almost a black now. Lust. Forgetting about the cameras that were all over the arena, broadcasting us all over Panem, I dropped my hands to his cargo pants. I was fiddling with the button when Cato seemed to finally snap out of it and grab my hands.

"No, stop. Aspen stop," he said, pushing my hands off of him. "Believe me, I wouldn't stop you unless I really felt like this wasn't right. And it isn't. Not right now. Not with you like this. You'll regret it later. We have time, all we have to do is win. We focus on that for now and then we can get around to other things."

His face quickly turned into a smirk. I nodded awkwardly and looked away. It would take me a long time before I would be able to look him in the eyes again. I wasn't sure that I would ever be able to look any of my friends in the eyes again. How would I face the Capitol during the Closing Ceremony? I would be mortified. Maybe I would be lucky and they wouldn't show it. I hated to admit it but Cato was probably right. I wanted nothing more than to do something to get my mind off of everything, but I really wouldn't mind doing anything with Cato right now. He was right. The timing was wrong.

Cato helped me shrug back into my shirt, his hands lingering slightly at my chest. I glanced up to him and smiled softly as he straightened out the fabric. He shrugged on the chest plate for the armor and I smiled as he put his shirt on over it. The damn thing didn't even look like it was there. We were both about to grab our jackets when a loud boom came from the sky. I jumped up and looked to the sky, but the trees were blocking my view. The cannon had been to alert us that another Tribute had died. And then there were five.

"It was a Tribute. Do you think it was Peeta?" I babbled, as my thoughts rushed to my District partner.

Maybe the infection had finally taken care of him. I knew how painful those were. They made you welcome death. Anything was better than waiting for an infection to take your life. My legs were shaking. Suddenly the thought of losing Peeta was very painful. He was my friend and he had even given his life to the Careers to keep them away from me. All to make up for the comment about having a crush on Katniss. It made me sick to think about.

Slowly I stood and walked from our little area with my bow and arrows tossed over my shoulders. I strapped my knives to me as we walked and kept a close eye out for any sign of a Tribute. The end was near. There was no sign of anyone. Maybe the death had been on the other side of the arena. But it had sounded close. I really didn't want to wait all night to see who it was. We might not even make it to the night at the rate that Tributes were dropping now. The Gamemakers were ready to end this. We were probably around sixteen days or so and the Games rarely went on for more than two weeks. They would get bored and antsy.

"I hate to say it Aspen but that's who I'd be betting my money on now," Cato said.

"I wish I could have said goodbye," I muttered.

"It might not have been him. No face in the sky. We might have missed it. Maybe we should wait until tonight to see who it was," Cato said.

"No. Let's go see what we can see," I said.

For a moment I hesitated. "Are you okay?" Cato asked.

"Yeh... I just - Today's the day," I muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"It's gonna end today."

"How do you know?"

"Gut feeling. One way or another, we're leaving the arena today," I said.

It didn't feel as wonderful as it once had. "Alive. Alive is the important part," Cato added. "Come on. The body still has to be somewhere. We can find it."

I stopped dead in my tracks. He continued to walk, missing the obvious sign, but then again it really wasn't obvious. I would have missed it too had I not known the look of the shiny golden blade. The one that I had just parted with a few days prior. She was laid peacefully on the ground with a tiny bit of black goo dripping from her mouth. Other than that she seemed unharmed. Apparently she hadn't been attacked by another Tribute or a mutt. Her death must have been from something internal. But what? She wasn't starving or dehydrated. Not that I knew of anyways.

"We don't have to," I finally said.

Cato stopped walking and turned back to me. He stepped right over where the pool of red hair was spread out softly. Cato stared at me like I was off the wall as my sad expression seemed to be fixed right at the empty ground. He wasn't very observant.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Leaning down I moved the bushes off of where Finch's body lay still. Almost like she was sleeping, just like Clove had looked yesterday. I pointed to her weakly. I saw the breath leave his chest as he stared down at the younger girl. He hadn't known her or known that she had been stealing from him, but I was sure that he respected the fact that she was incredibly clever. Too clever for her own good.

"Right there. It was Finch. The girl from District 5," I said, leaning down to her.

"Haven't even seen her since the first day," Cato said.

Snorting under my breath I shook my head. "Really? Because she's been stealing from you since the beginning," I said.

"What?"

"She learned how to work the Cornucopia trap. She would wait until you weren't watching and sneak in, grab something, and sneak out. She was near you guys the whole time."

"How do you know?"

"I saw her do it a few times."

"Maybe she was starving without the food," Cato said.

I saw a dark blue berry trapped in her hand and I knitted my eyebrows as I stood up. "She ate the berries that I made you drop the other day. She ate Nightlock," I said softly.

How had she done that? "She was hungry," Cato muttered.

"Now there's only five left. The end is coming and it's coming fast," I said softly as I turned back.

He glanced down at her still figure and shook his head. He leaned down and moved the berries away from her. I was sure that he was remembering his close encounter with the lethal berries just two days before. They were dangerous and caught plenty of Tributes off guard.

"She must not have known what they were," Cato said softly.

I scoffed at him. Not like he knew why but I knew that he was wrong. Shaking my head at him softly I leaned back down to the red headed girl and closed her eyes. She hadn't really been my friend, but I had known her and been rather fond of her. I would have liked to know her better. Although some part of me knew that it was better off that she was dead. She would have been a real problem at the end. She was far too smart and was even more of a survivor than I was.

"Finch knew everything about anything when it came to berries and plants. She knew what she was eating. I just don't think she wanted to die a painful death. She wanted something fast and final," I said.

"She went out on her own terms," Cato muttered.

"Rest in peace, Finch. You were a good person," I said softly, going back to Cato. "Where now?"

"Find Peeta or Coral."

The thought sent a shiver down my spine but I nodded anyways. Just as I did though, the arena went dark and I could barely see my hand in front of me. "What the hell?" I whispered at the sudden darkness.

Subconsciously I moved closer to Cato, who wrapped a protective arm around my waist. It was like someone had put a shade over the lamp that lit the arena. The sun wasn't real. It was artificial. That was why they could change the weather and utilize natural disasters within seconds. My breath caught in my throat as I realized the arena was under an eerie blue lighting. Suddenly things had changed and become very tense. Whatever this was it wasn't natural. Something bad was coming.

"Clouds maybe?" Cato asked softly.

"No," I whispered.

"It can't be nighttime. It's only about the middle of the day. There's no way that we were in the wooded area for that long. Were we?"

It had just been light. No way would the sun go down that fast. He glanced down to me and I shook my head. "No, I looked at the sun when we came out to check for the Tribute. It was only at the middle of the sky. Cato, it's about one o'clock at the latest. And there are no clouds in the sky. It's just dark," I said with a sigh.

I liked to claim that I always knew what was going on, but I had no idea what was happening at the moment. "Do you still have that flashlight?" Cato asked.

Suddenly a heavy downpour started and I turned to Cato. "Rain? What the hell are they doing? What is this?" I asked.

The rain had only been falling for half a minute but it had already soaked through my hair and clothes. It was absolutely freezing. I wouldn't have been surprised if ice started to form across the arena. The only part of me that wasn't wet were my feet. The storm picked up, winds blowing everywhere are whipping the water droplets into my body like bullets. Like I hadn't been cold enough before. The bushes began to shake and I slowly pulled my bow off of my back. Nocking an arrow, I turned to Cato but his eyes were solely focused on the shifting bushes.

"It's freezing," I whispered.

"Stay close," Cato warned.

A low growl came out of the bushes and I let my breath coming out in ragged gasps. I would have recognized that sound anywhere. "Cato," I whispered desperately.

"Welcome to the Death Match," Cato growled as he drew his sword and faced the menacing woods. It was time to fight.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

In District 12...

Hundreds of miles away from the intense air of the arena, in District 12, sat four people inside of the Everdeen household. Primrose, Katniss and their mother were all watching the screen closely, their faces heating up at the moment. None of them particularly wanted to be watching the screen right now. It wasn't because there was a fight that was hurting their girl. That much had already happened. They were almost used to seeing those moments. It was something much different that was keeping them silent.

Aspen was currently pressed to Cato, their hands roaming over each other and their mouths locked together. The Everdeen mother watched the pair with dark eyes for a moment. She wasn't a fan of the District 2 boy but she did see the way that Aspen looked at him. She thought of the girl like her own daughter so she would always be protective of her. After all, that was what she had promised her mother, the woman who had once been her best friend. She laughed lightly as she gauged the reaction of the other three people in the room.

Her youngest daughter Primrose Everdeen was watching the screen with wide eyes. Obviously she was shocked at what she was seeing. Even more than she had been during some of the more brutal moments that had happened to the girl. She thought about asking her youngest daughter to leave the room but she didn't see the point. She would know what was happening anyways. They had gone too far to think that it was just a normal kiss. Kids didn't get to be children anymore anyways and she knew that her daughter was wise beyond her twelve years.

Plus she was relatively confident that the Gamemakers would shut their broadcast off if the pair didn't stop. Either that or they would send something to separate the pair. Hopefully the former. She turned her gaze to her older daughter and let a small smile creep across her face. Katniss Everdeen looked extremely conflicted. There was a large blush on her face. She knew that while her daughter wanted Aspen to be happy, she wished that it had been with anyone but the District 2 male. The one who had caused so much trouble in these Games.

Part of her thought it was funny to watch the reaction of her oldest daughter. It was one of the few times that she had smiled since her husband died. She almost enjoyed watching the screen. It reminded her of the days that she had spent with her late husband. Unlike the other three in the room, Katniss's face was a bright red. She was obviously uncomfortable watching the pair have their fun but she was determined to watch the television. If for some reason Aspen wouldn't make it to the end she wanted to make sure she saw the last few moments of her friend's life.

Aspen had a good chance to win though. The only other living females were Finch, the girl from District 5, and Coral, the girl from District 4. Finch had gotten her bag first which had been filled with food and water. Coral on the other hand had gotten her bag from the feast after everyone else and the world had stared in confusion at her gift. Most people hadn't really even known what it was. It didn't matter. Aspen had a thirty-three percent chance to live. And as of today she was the most likely of the small group to make it.

Sighing deeply, she shifted her gaze to the fourth person in the room. The only male in the room wasn't a child of the eldest Everdeen but she treated him as one. She had always loved him. Gale Hawthorne was a good boy and she knew that her two girls as well as Aspen were fond of the boy. However she also knew that Gale favored one of the girls. He loved Aspen. That much was painfully obvious to every resident of District 12. She didn't blame him, for everything that Aspen had been through she was a wonderful girl. It had been clear to everyone that one day either Aspen or Katniss would marry Gale.

It had always been more likely to be Aspen. Things had changed now. Now it wasn't even clear if Aspen would ever come back home. But as of recently it seemed like the Everdeen and Hawthorne family would get to see the last Antaeus again. And if she did get to come back everyone knew that her heart would belong to the Hadley boy. She had also recently noticed that Gale and Katniss had become closer. They would spend most nights lying together, curled up on the couch, making sure that Aspen was safe. They cared for the older girl and their love for her had driven the two closer together in the past few weeks.

She watched as Katniss hooked her arm around her sister. It was rather sweet to see. Ms. Everdeen was glad that someone else could take care of her youngest daughter when she couldn't bring herself to do it. As much as she tried, Ms. Everdeen just couldn't work up the motivation. Katniss seemed to be ready to pull her younger sister out of the room at any minute. Primrose sighed and shook her sister's arm off of her. Prim loved Katniss more than anything but she was more of a mother than her actual mother was.

She knew that her older sister was only trying to protect the innocence that Prim had left but she didn't want the protection. The youngest Everdeen knew what was about to happen and she didn't care. She wouldn't have cared anyways. She knew that it was something that people who loved each other did. She wanted to see Aspen be happy. Even if it meant watching something that was only meant for private eyes. Prim wanted to know that if Aspen did end up dying in the Death Match that she would at least have died loving someone.

It was something that made her happy. But she was the only person in the house that was even mildly happy at the moment. At the sight of her sisters wide eyes, Katniss Everdeen was about to smash the television to bits. Her jaws were grinding together and she was making herself bleed. This was nothing that she wanted to be seeing. Having known Aspen since the pair were children she knew that this was nothing that the older girl had ever done. As far as Katniss knew, Aspen's first kiss had been with Cato back at the party that President Snow had thrown. Her blush increased tenfold when she saw Cato's tongue fit out of his mouth and heard Aspen let out a soft moan.

She watched out of the corner of her eyes as a smirk rose on Cato's mouth and Aspen bit down on his lower lip. Katniss whipped back to her mother but realized that she was fixated on the screen with almost a hypnotic look. As much as she hated to admit it, the whole thing looked like fun. She was shocked that Aspen was even doing something like this. While she usually was the one of the two to draw stared from boys in District 12, one remark or glare from Aspen would normally send them running back home. She was never one for flirting men. What was different about Cato?

On the other end of the couch Gale Hawthorne dug his short nails into the fabric of the couch. He was sure that he was ruining his nails and likely leaving some permanent damage to them but he didn't really care. The pain wasn't bothering him in the slightest. He had been slowly coming to terms with the fact that Aspen was in love with Cato Hadley but he had in no way been prepared for this. He would never be ready to see her with someone else. No matter how many weeks or months or years passed.

He hated the Tribute from District 2 but he knew that Aspen loved him and that was what mattered. As long as she was happy he would support her. But this was not something that he wanted to see. Cato's hands shot over Aspen's stomach and Gale felt his hands tear through the fabric as the Tribute's hands briefly laid on her chest. Gale tore his hands away from the couch, not wanting to make an even bigger mess and watched with horror as Cato's hands pulled at her zipper. He thought that Aspen would stop him but she only helped him shrug her out of the garment.

Reactions throughout the room were mixed. Gale felt his blood boil hotter than it ever had. He was trying to get over his feelings for Aspen and he thought that he was doing a rather good job, but maybe now it was a matter of controlling his anger. He certainly wasn't happy, no matter how close to the end they were. The Everdeen mother felt her body go weak at the sight of the younger kids. She missed days like that with her husband. It was one of the many things she missed about him. The blush on Katniss's face had spread to her neck and chest and he had to refrain from leaving the room.

That was still her best friend and even though she could strangle her right now, she had to stay and watch. Prim was drawn to both of the figures on screen. One she considered her sister and the other was a good looking boy from District 2. Without meaning to, her eyes dropped to his bare chest. Moving her head over to check on the other residents of the home, Katniss saw where her younger sister's eyes were. And that was not something that she would tolerate. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she shook her younger sister.

"Prim, cover your eyes. Now!" she yelled, when the younger girl ignored her.

Prim jumped and shut her eyes, not wanting to listen to the incessant rants of her older sister about how inappropriate that was. "Katniss, relax. We've seen worse," Prim said.

"I don't care," Katniss snapped.

"They're not doing anything that bad," Prim said.

The couch shifted slightly and Katniss looked to see that Gale was standing from his spot on the couch. "Gale wait, don't leave," she said.

He turned back to her with a nasty look on his face. "I'm leaving," Gale snapped.

She had known that he would be upset at the actions of Aspen. "Come on, just stay for a minute," Katniss begged, hoping that Aspen would come to her senses.

Had looks been able to kill, Katniss would have been dead at the glare that Gale was giving her. Although so would Aspen and Cato. And a whole other bunch of people too. "Why?" he hissed.

Katniss recoiled slightly. "Just in case," Katniss muttered.

He sighed and tried to calm himself slightly, if nothing else so that he wouldn't take out his anger on her. That wasn't fair. "Nothing will happen. The Capitol is loving it. I'm not. I don't want to watch Aspen do that. No thanks, Katniss. You know that I don't want to watch that," Gale snarled.

He stood there for a moment before turning to leave the room. Anger spiking through her veins, Katniss stood and set her dark glare on her best friend. She didn't care that Prim and her mother were watching. Gale turned back to look at her and raised his eyes at her angry stare. He shook his head and turned back to the door, stopping when he heard Katniss call out to him.

"Look, I know you care for her but this is ridiculous," Katniss snarled.

"It is not."

"You can't just leave the room because of that." He turned back to her. He was about to give her a biting reply but she beat him to it. "She lost Rue and whatever that was that she got clearly didn't help anything. She's weak and needs someone to be there for her. And that's him," Katniss said softly.

Gale let out his breath. He had felt for Aspen when she had been with Rue during her final moments. Most everyone in Panem had cried at the loss of the youngest Tribute and Aspen's reaction to it. Even Gale had let a tear out when he had seen how broken she was. When Cato had found her and taken care of her it had been the one time that Gale was thankful for him. Slowly Gale shook his head and turned to look at the television. Aspen was shirtless, laid on her back in the dirt with her hands at the button on Cato's pants and he let the anger once more boil in his veins.

"You honestly want to see that?" Gale asked.

"Of course not! But I'm not leaving."

"Whatever. I'm not staying to watch this. And you shouldn't let Prim watch it either," he said, nodding to the younger girl.

Sick of feeling like everyone was ignoring her and choosing her life for her, Prim rolled her eyes behind her lids. She knew that Gale and Katniss would fight until the day that they died. Prim was over their constant fighting and she wanted to put a stop to this now. She was sick of the fighting. There was enough on the television, she didn't need to hear it between two of the most important people in her life.

"That's why my eyes are closed," Prim announced with her arms crossed.

She couldn't see what was happening between the pair but she knew that they were both facing her now. "Prim -" Katniss started.

"Not that I don't know what they're doing. I'm twelve guys, not stupid. We all know what's going on out there," she said, under her breath.

"Prim!" Katniss shouted.

Not far from her she heard Katniss scoff and she couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face. She didn't really know exactly what was happening but she wanted to prod at her sister. That was what younger siblings were for. But Katniss was shocked. She had never heard Prim say anything like that before.

"They won't really keep the cameras on them will they?" Katniss asked her mother.

She had thought that they might have, but now she wasn't so sure. "They might or they might not," Ms. Everdeen said.

Katniss turned back to the television and raised her eyebrows when she saw that Cato was actually stopping Aspen. She saw that Gale had turned back to leave and she yelled after him. "Hey, Gale, wait! He's stopping her. He didn't let her go through with it. He stopped her. Does that make him any better?" Katniss snapped to her older friend.

Stopping short, Gale turned to the television to see if Katniss had been telling him the truth. It seemed like she was right. Cato was telling her that now wasn't the time, that she would regret it if she did it. He could tell that Aspen was shocked with her actions as she shook her head and smiled bashfully at Cato. He wanted to think that Cato had really done it out of genuine concern that she would be making a mistake, but he was still convinced that he was playing the Games. Gale shook his head and turned to look at Katniss.

"No. He only stopped her do that he could look like the hero," he said darkly.

Fury shot through her veins as Katniss stood back up from the couch and marched over to where Gale stood. He was watching her with a blank stare, not phased at all by his friend. "Really?" she asked.

"Of course."

"After all of this time you still don't think that he cares about her in the slightest? After everything that happened between the two of them you still don't think that he feels something for her?" she hissed.

It wasn't like Katniss approved of the boy from District 2 but she at least was sure that he had feelings for her. He would have killed her long ago if it had only been for his image. That or he wouldn't have cared so much about her when he had found her after Rue. Slowly Gale shook his head and walked up to his friend. Unlike Aspen, who only came up to his chest, Katniss stood at his chin. Of course, seven inches separated the two girls. For some reason Gale had come to the conclusion not long ago that Cato really did care for his best friend. But Gale still didn't think that Aspen had any business being with him.

"I know he does," he finally said softly to Katniss, who raised her eyebrows in surprise at his comment.

"So?" Katniss asked.

"But he's from District 2."

Katniss scoffed loudly. "And she's from District 12. If they can get over it so can you," Katniss snapped.

Gale ignored her and turned back to the television, cocking his head as he saw Aspen staring down at the body of a girl with bright red hair. "Is that the girl from District 5?" Gale asked.

"That's her," Katniss said.

"Finch right?" he asked.

Prim opened her eyes. "That's her," Prim said.

Katniss nodded and both she and Gale sat back down on the couch, the argument forgotten about for now. "She ate the Nightlock. I thought that she was good at all of the survival stuff," Gale muttered.

Katniss nodded at Gale slowly. She knew that Finch was really only good at identifying berries and plants. That was probably the only reason that she had even managed to get the 5 in training. That and the fact that she was fast. Aspen was the only one that really matched her for speed. But Finch had managed to prove herself very useful in the arena.

"She is. It's like Aspen just said. She did it so that she could have a quick and painless death. She didn't want to suffer through the slow death that she feared some of the remaining Tributes might give her," Katniss said.

"At least she went out without a brutal death," Prim muttered.

Katniss fixed her eyes on the screen and leaned forward as she watched the arena go dark. What the hell? Where had that come from? "What's happening? Why did the arena go dark?" Katniss asked.

"It's not nighttime," Prim said weakly.

"Gale, what are they doing?" Katniss asked her best friend.

Fear was slowly raising in Gale. His mouth had filled with bile as he realized what was happening. There were only five people left now and they were now a number of days past the two week point since the Games had begun. They wanted to end this now and that was what they were going to do.

"It's the Death Match," Gale muttered softly.

"No," Katniss whispered.

"It's almost over though," Prim said.

He watched the screen closely and felt his heart leap into his throat when he was what the Gamemakers were sending after the pair. It wasn't abnormal for Gamemakers to put mutts in the Death Match, but this was more than he had ever heard of. These things were something totally different.

"Look at what they're doing. They can't do that!" Gale yelled, slamming his hands onto the table in front of him.

He saw Prim jump to his left and he realized that she was shaking, tears rising in her eyes. "What are they doing?" Prim cried.

"It's okay, Prim. It's okay," Katniss consoled her sister.

These Games were about to become very real. "Katniss," Prim begged, even though she could do nothing to help.

"Prim, go to your room okay? You don't need to see what's about to happen," Gale told her softly.

His heart broke as he watched the first tear slip from her eyes. He knew that she felt so guilty about Aspen's predicament. Tears were steadily falling out of Prim's eyes as she watched the television set closely. Rain was pouring down on Aspen and Cato, who were standing back to back with their weapons raised, and the screen was now split onto the other Tributes. Thresh was holding his sword, ready for a fight. Coral was up in a tree, taking in what was happening, and Peeta was heading straight for the Cornucopia. Katniss stood and went to move Prim back into her room but the younger Everdeen ripped her arm away from her older sister.

"No, I'm not leaving!" Prim shouted.

"Please leave, Prim," Katniss begged.

"It's my fault that she's there so I want to see what happens!" Prim shrieked to Katniss, tears pouring down her face.

Katniss felt her heart slowly breaking at the look of desperation on her younger sister's face. She knew that Prim would do anything to get Aspen out of the arena but that wasn't an option. "Prim, this was not your fault okay? She knows that it wasn't your fault but she wouldn't want you to see this. Please go," she begged her younger sister.

But it didn't work. Prim was still sitting completely still. Katniss sighed and shook her head, turning back to watch the scene unfold on the screen. She was terrified enough watching the screen, she could only imagine how Aspen felt actually being there. She saw as a blue image of the mutts came onto the screen and she felt her stomach roil.

"What the hell are they sending in there?" Katniss asked.

"Mutts," Gale muttered.

"No one will survive this! They aren't going to have their damn Victor if they do that! Someone has to do something!" Katniss yelled to no one in particular.

But nothing could happen. No Sponsor gifts would help. Nothing would. The only thing that they could hope was that everyone managed to fight their way away from the mutts. That was the only way that anyone would be able to live. Gale walked over and grabbed Katniss's hand and Prim's as well, sitting between the two girls on the couch. The screen went silent as a golden muzzle was seen and the trees slowly parted for it, a low growl emitting from its chest.

"What is that?" Katniss barely managed to get out, as the silence of the arena was replaced with the sharp scream that came from Aspen.

In District 2...

The Hadley family sat in their living room along with Julie and Skye, all staring at the screen awkwardly. Their son, friend, and brother was doing something that none of them wanted to see. Like Aspen Antaeus, Cato had a family that didn't want to watch him acting like a hormonal teenager. They understood that both he and Aspen were weak from everything that had happened. Aspen had lost her friend and Cato was watching the girl he loved slipping through the cracks. He wanted to protect her and he didn't know how. There was no protecting people in the Games. It was only praying that they would make it out.

Twenty-three days after their family member had left to go into the Games, the Hadley family and their two friends were ready to see their boy again. Carrie sat in the large armchair, on top of Dean, who was cradling Marley gently. The young girl was babbling softly at the group but with a few shushes from her mother she fell silent. The chatter was normally appreciated, but today wasn't the right day. The family was getting tense after having not seen their son for so long. And they all knew that the Death Match would be approaching soon with only six Tributes left. No one wanted to mention the upcoming fight.

Like usual, Aidan sat underneath his older brother against the floor. He was mostly playing with his nails and scraping against them. He had already tried to focus on something else but it really wasn't working. He was trying to watch the television but it was disgusting. He loved Cato and thought that Aspen was actually pretty, for a District 12 girl at least. But he didn't want to watch his brother do adult things with her. He made a small noise of disgust and Dean laughed softly. The entire family chuckled softly. The momentary lightness was appreciated.

While Dean didn't blame his younger brother for the way that he was acting with the girl he had to wonder if Cato could have waited a little while. He couldn't deny it though, Aspen was a very pretty girl, and she clearly had the wit and temper to keep up with Cato. Carrie lightly poked at Aidan with her foot and the younger boy swatted it away. She couldn't help but to sigh at the sight of her brother-in-law and the girl from District 12. She missed her late night kisses with her husband. Since the Games had started he hadn't really felt right being intimate with her. She couldn't blame him.

The rest of the family sat in minor discomfort as they watched the pair on the screen increase in intimacy. She had been completely shirtless in front of him before but it had been because of a life-threatening injury. Not for pleasure. And she had barked at him to stop looking at her. Now was different. Julie and Skye both felt their faces flare and tempers roll slightly. Skye curled her fists and sighed deeply. She loved Cato and thought that Aspen was a good person for him to be with. Although she wasn't fond that she had just helped kill Clove. It was the one moment that had made the entire family briefly despise her.

Cato and Aspen seemed to complement each other well and Skye could see that he loved her more than anything else. The looks that he gave her were ones that Skye had never gotten from him. She was glad to see that he had found someone to love but it still left a little burn that it hadn't been her. But as long as she was always in his life and he was happy, that was all that mattered to her. But that didn't mean that she wanted to see him hook up with Aspen. She had heard enough of his conquests back when they trained at the Academy together and that had been odd enough.

She smirked when she wondered how those girls felt now. Probably completely used. They had been. Aspen was the only one that he had ever loved. Like her friend, Julie felt herself shift uncomfortably as she watched Cato and Aspen stay locked together. She kept hoping that they would come back to themselves but they wouldn't. Not for a while, it seemed. Julie loved her best friend but even she had to admit that he was terrible about controlling himself. Granted Aspen had started their little bonding session, but he had done nothing to stop her.

While she pitied herself for not winning over Cato's heart she pitied his family more. They didn't want to watch their son do something that was meant for only married couples but she also knew that they didn't want to risk missing anything if they got up and walked away from the screen. She sighed, a part of her wishing that it was her on top of him, the other part hoping that he would get to leave the arena with her. Julie wasn't sure exactly how she felt about Aspen but she wanted Cato to be happy. And he wouldn't be happy without her. She pulled her hands through her blonde hair nervously and shook her head.

The Games were normally broadcasted no matter what was happening on screen but Carrie couldn't help but to hope that the screen would cut away from the pair. Although worse things had been shown on screen. Bloody deaths, rapes, and much worse. The whole thing just felt wrong to her. She knew that what they were going through was something that was only to be done in private. Sure, Cato wouldn't care but she figured that the moment that Aspen realized what was happening she would be mortified. And she couldn't blame the girl.

"We shouldn't be watching this," Carrie finally said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.

"We can't really leave," Dean said.

"It just... it seems private. I know that they're on national television, but still," Carrie said.

"I don't think they realize it," Aidan said, snorting.

It resulted in a good kick from Dean. "Let's give them some sense of privacy. They wouldn't want us to see this," Carrie said softly.

The matriarch of the Hadley family looked over at her daughter-in-law with a gentle smile. She loved Carrie more than she ever thought that she would. She was like herself. Not much of a District 2 girl. That was what the girls had bonded over at first. Alana sighed and shook her head. She was no fool. Cato was not always very careful about his comings and goings at night. She couldn't even count the number of times that she had pretended not to hear the front door closing in the middle of the night.

She knew that her son was one to have plenty of female suitors but she never wanted to know what he did with them. That was why she had ignored the sound of the door closing and had never questioned where he went in the late hours of the evening. She had always told him that as long as he was safe with them she would leave him be. But now he was dangling his private life for the world to see and Alana was extremely uncomfortable. No mother wanted to hear or see her son do things like that. It wasn't appropriate.

"I would love nothing more than to change this but we can't," Alana said.

"I know... But -" Carried started.

"I don't want to watch my son do something like that but I'm not willing to risk something happening," Carrie told her daughter-in-law, giving her an apologetic look.

Shifting again at the uncomfortable topic, Julie accidentally kicked Skye. The other girl looked at her with the tilt of her head and Julie shook her head quickly. No one wanted to talk. Skye knew that her friend was extremely uncomfortable at the screen. She had always been the one of the two that had been more determined to win over Cato. She could only imagine how she felt, looking at her best friend with some new girl on the screen.

"How do we even know that something is going to happen?" Julie asked.

Every eye in the room turned to her. "Are you kidding?" Skye asked shortly.

"They're just kissing. I've known Cato since we were kids. This isn't the first girl that he's ever kissed. He won't go farther than that. He's smart," Julie said softly, not really believing her own words.

Cato wasn't the type to think physical relations through. Next to her, Julie heard Skye snort and she turned to look at her friend. Skye glanced over at the television and sighed when she realized that the pair were tugging at each other's lips roughly, both wearing small smiles. It was the happiest that Julie had seen Cato in the Games. She scoffed and turned away from the screen looking at her friend. It wasn't the first time she had ever seen Cato kiss someone but she didn't want to see it.

"Have you ever seen him act like that with someone?" Skye asked Julie, turning back to her. The other girl sat in silence and dropped her head, a small glare settling over her features. "Yeah, me either."

Being Cato's only older sibling, Dean had always been the one to defend him. Even now, when Cato was off in the Hunger Games, Dean still felt the need to defend his brother. He always would. Until the day that one of them died. He knew that his brother wasn't exactly innocent when it came to his relationships - and neither had he been - but that didn't mean that everyone should be discussing it. His physical relationship with Aspen wasn't what they should all be focused on.

"The boy is almost nineteen. She is nineteen," Dean said.

"Doesn't make a difference," Julie snapped.

"By the time I was nineteen, Marley had been born," Dean said.

He felt Carrie stiffen on top of him. He felt bad for dragging her into it but he had to say something. "Dean," Carrie warned.

"Look I know you guys don't want to see him do something like that but you have to know that this wouldn't exactly be his first time," Dean continued anyways. "I don't know about her, but I would assume that it is her first time."

She knew that her son was only guessing about whether or not Aspen really knew what she was doing with Cato. But Alana knew for sure that Aspen had never done it before. It was obvious enough by the way that she had reacted during the first few times that she had spoken with Cato. Alana had no qualms about the girl, but no mother ever wanted to know that their son is doing that with some girl.

"Dean, I do not think I need to hear about yours or Cato's private life," Alana said.

Dean blushed softly. "Sorry," he muttered.

"I love you boys but that doesn't mean that I want to know what's happening behind closed doors," Alana told her son, who dropped his head.

Once more Skye turned to the television and she shook her head as Cato was testing the waters with Aspen. He would lightly brush his hands over her chest, seeing if she was going to push him away from her. Smart boy. She knew Aspen well enough to know that she would stick an arrow through his throat if he dared to go too far too fast.

"Dean is right, though. It isn't his first time," Julie said out loud.

She immediately noticed all of the sideways looks that were sent to both her and Julie. "Well done," Skye muttered.

Julie's stomach leaped into her throat and she shook her head. "I mean, Cato never touched Julie or I like that, but I've heard the stories. He was never really as train and sleep only as he made you all think," she said, making small mutters shoot across the room.

Everyone awkwardly looked away from each other. For as long as he could remember, Aidan had always followed everything that Cato had done. He was training to go into the Games, he was training with a sword, and he even looked like Cato. They shared mannerisms and even dressed the same. His parents always thought that the way that Aidan followed everything that his older brother had been adorable. But they had hated the fact that Aidan also had learned Cato's sense of humor. Particularly when it came to women.

"He's been getting a different type of work out," Aidan snickered from the floor.

Standing from her seat on the couch with her husband, Alana walked over to Aidan and grabbed him by the shoulder. He looked up at his mother with fear in his eyes, hoping that she would let his comment slip. "Aidan! You are not old enough to be saying things like that. When these Games are over you are not leaving that room of yours for a week. That was not a nice thing that you just said," she hissed at her son, who slowly sunk back to his seat on the floor.

"Is a week really -?" Aidan stopped speaking when he saw the glare that his mother was sending him.

"And all of you, stop it!" Alana roared, to the shock of the rest of her family.

Alana was normally very level headed but she was still a District 2 girl. She could still be scary beyond belief when she wanted to be. "Darling..." Damien trailed off when he saw that she was even sending him the same glare.

"What do you think that Aspen would be thinking if she heard all of what you were saying right now?" Alana asked, watching as all eyes in the room dropped.

"Who cares?" Julie scoffed.

"Shut up," Skye snapped.

Carrie shifted to look at her mother-in-law who nodded at her. She sighed and pushed Dean to the side lightly so that she could see everyone. "She's right. Poor Aspen would be mortified if she could hear what you were all saying right now," Carrie said.

"But she does know that the cameras are there," Dean said.

"So what? She's miserable. She's just trying to be happy. Think about everything that she's been through recently. She saved her best friend's little sister and was put into these Games without even wanting to. She lost her parents to these Games for crying out loud!" Carrie yelled, watching as a glassy look filled Skye's eyes.

She knew that the girl had lost her brother to the Games and her sister was a Victor, but she may as well have lost her too. "Carrie is right," Skye muttered.

"I know that Cato isn't innocent. He's been messing with her since day one. She thinks that Rue was her fault and now she doesn't know what to do. She just wants this to all be over. I can't blame her," Carrie finished softly.

Julie sighed and moved so that she was leaning off of the edge of the couch. She looked up to the television and shook her head when she saw that Aspen was now a jacket short. As much as Julie wanted to hate the girl, she didn't think that she could. She really didn't have much of a good reason to hate her. Aspen was a good girl and she had never done anything to make Julie not trust her. If anything, she had Aspen to thank. She saved him from eating the Nightlock.

"I hate to admit it but Aspen seems like a good person," Julie said.

"Really?" Skye asked, surprised.

"Yes. I don't doubt that she'll be the girl to make it out. In a few days you'll all get to talk to her and make a final judgement then. But I call it now. Something is going to change with her. I mean, have you ever seen one Tribute get so much attention? They bent the rules for her," Julie said, tilting her head to the side.

All day Damien had been silent, only once trying to speak to Alana, mostly not wanting to get involved in the fight. But what Julie had just said was true. Everything that she had said was true. Particularly the rule change. Everything was going to change after this year. For some reason Aspen had affected these Games in a way that no one had before.

"You're right, Julie," Damien said, watching everyone turn their heads to look at him. "Things won't be the same after these Games. If they let two people win this year then they'll have to start letting two people win every year. District 11 was in an uprising over Rue and what Aspen did for her. Thresh spared her because of what she did for the little girl. Seneca Crane clearly favors her. And it seems like President Snow has taken quite the liking to her. If she wins then she has something big coming to her. We all do."

It seemed like a dark shadow was cast over the room from the patriarch's words. They all knew that he was right. Nothing was good. These Games were going to be huge. Two people weren't allowed to win the Games. Something was going to happen. This wasn't going to go without severe repercussions. Skye turned her head to the television set and let her eyes widen when she realized that Cato had stopped the actions. Aspen was currently pulling her shirt on, looking somewhat grateful that he had stopped her.

"Well on a slightly lighter note it looks like your son has some dignity after all. He stopped her," Skye said.

"Good," Julie muttered.

Alana looked very relieved. "Why would he do that? I mean, don't boys like never want to stop it even if they know it's a bad idea?" Skye asked, feeling slightly foolish.

All eyes shot to the screen and Dean gauged the reactions. Skye and Julie both looked slightly relieved, along with Alana and Carrie. Although Carrie looked a little sad at what had just happened. His brother Aidan looked like he could care less about the whole thing and his father shook his head. Aidan just wanted it to be over with. Marley was just staring at the screen blankly and Leah had been pulled into his mother's chest, forcing her to keep her eyes off of the screen.

"Wow, thanks, Skye," Dean scoffed.

The younger girl looked over to him. "What?" she asked.

"For making every guy in Panem look like a dog. You know, I've found that in my time when I was dating girls and even Carrie that most girls actually are the ones to -" Dean said, before being cut off.

Carrie knew exactly where her husband was going with the story and it wasn't one that she wanted to let her family hear. Especially when her daughter and Leah were in the room. She slapped Dean over the head, much to the amusement of everyone else in the room.

"Stop there if you don't want to sleep outside tonight," she hissed at Dean.

Laughs were exchanged all over the room as the tense air faded. "Sorry," Dean muttered.

She glanced back up to the screen and saw that Aspen and Cato had stumbled upon a body. Aspen was looking at the girl on the ground with pity and Cato was standing behind her. "That's the girl from District 5. Finch or something like that. What killed her?" Carrie asked.

There were no bloody wounds and the last that Carrie had seen, she had water and food at her disposal. At her words, Damien leaned forward and looked at the small berry that was right off to the side of where Finch was lying. He sighed when he realized what it was. The same thing that Cato had nearly died from.

"Nightlock. The same plant that Cato nearly ate yesterday," Damien announced to his family. "None of you can say that she doesn't care for him. It would have been easy for her to let him eat them, but she didn't."

Everyone in the room nodded. "Everyone knows that they really do love each other," Carrie said.

She really did care for him. Damien had thought that Aspen might kill his son when she saw what he had almost eaten. "Finch took her own life. Made it look like an accident," Damien clarified the situation.

Since Cato had gone into the Games, Aidan had made it his goal to follow in his brother's footsteps. So he had been determined to analyze every little thing that any of the Tributes did this entire Games. Everything made sense to him that they had done, except for this.

"Why would she do something like that?" Aidan asked his father, who was staring darkly at the screen.

"No one ever listens," Alana sighed.

Damien almost grinned. Looking back over to his son he sighed deeply. Damien had once wanted to go into these Games but now he was glad he hadn't. He couldn't even imagine what these kids were going through. What kind of nightmares they would bring back with them. He finally sighed and looked back over to his youngest son.

"Why else? Just like Aspen said. It's a quick and painless death. Finch knew that she wasn't going to win so she took her own life. Made it fast and relatively painless," he answered the young boy.

As everyone was staring at Damien Hadley, Julie turned her gaze back to the television set. Cato and Aspen were both staring down at the body of the girl from District 5. Just as she was about to look away she saw that the arena went dark, and both Aspen and Cato were whirling around. Clearly they were trying to figure out what had happened. Julie took a quick glance at the clock. It wasn't late enough for the sun to go down. What was happening?

"Hey, why did the sun go down?" Julie asked.

Every head in the room whipped back to the screen. "What happened?" Aidan asked.

"It's only one in the afternoon. They still have at least five hours before the sun should even start to go down. Are they trying to get them confused?" Julie asked.

Feeling fear and bile build in her throat, Skye leaned forward to watch the screen. She knew what was coming. They had been trained in the Academy to recognize it. The ground was beginning to shake slightly as the new mutts were headed into the arena. She nearly vomited at the sight of them. She knew what one of the mutts were but the other two were foreign to her. The blueprints of the mutts came up on the screen and Skye knew that her face had gone completely white.

"No, look at that. Have you ever seen a mutt like that?" Skye asked.

Everyone in the room shook their heads. "Oh..." Alana whispered.

"What is that thing? What the hell are they putting in the arena with them?" Skye asked frantically.

While she had really only cared for Cato throughout the Games, now she feared for Aspen as well. Hell, she feared for everyone. Hugging her daughter tighter to her, Carrie grabbed her husband's hand with her free one and let tears fill in her eyes. Dean noticed and left a small kiss on his wife's forehead.

"Look at that thing!" Carrie yelled, as the first of the mutts was revealed in its fullest.

"It would be hard to miss," Damien said.

"If they put something like that in it will kill every last one of them. No one has ever seen something like that before. What if it kills them? They're sending it right after Cato and Aspen!" Carrie cried.

It didn't take her long to realize where the worst of the mutts was headed. Trying to comfort his wife, Dean went to move her head away from the screen but her eyes went right back. She wouldn't want to see it, but at the same time she wanted to know what was going to happen. She didn't want to miss a moment of the Games and he didn't blame her.

"There's no way they'd actually do something like that, right?" Dean asked.

"No. They will," Damien muttered.

"They're not just sending in one mutt... they're sending in three," Dean said sickly. The unfamiliar mutt apparently had friends. "And that's the ones that they've only done right now."

Alana leaned forward in her seat as she watched the screen split into four different sections. She felt her hands shaking. She had been so confident that he would be coming back. But now it looked like no one would be walking out of the arena. She glanced closely at the screens. One with Peeta, one with Thresh, one with Coral, and then the last one had both Cato and Aspen. She watched as her son went back to back with her Aspen and the pair watched the moving trees closely.

"Don't lose hope yet. Remember when we all thought that the wolf mutt would kill Aspen?" Alana asked.

"This is different," Dean muttered.

"It's not. It didn't, she beat it. And they sent it to kill her. With the two of them together they can stop it. The Capitol wants them to live. They want to see them beat it. This is the Death Match. We all knew that it wouldn't be easy," Alana said softly.

No one looked at her. No one was daring to move their eyes away from the screen for a moment. Damien shifted forward in his chair and looked at the mutt as it made its way through the woods. It was getting close to where Cato and Aspen were. The rain was soaking the fur on it and he could tell that everyone in the arena was soaked to the bone. He thought back to his time at the Academy and felt his heart jump. He knew exactly what this thing was. He had learned about it when he was younger.

"I know what it is. That's not a mutt," Damien said softly.

He barely turned away from the mutt for a moment. Instead he wanted to watch the pair stand facing the woods, waiting for the Games to really begin. They would be fine... They had to be. The last thing that he heard before the arena went to hell and the fight began was the piercing scream that came from Aspen.

In The Arena...

The low growling was coming from all over and I felt my body stiffen. Cato was right. This was the Death Match. There were now only five of us left and we were in the seventeenth day. Or something like that. The Gamemakers were ready to end this thing at any costs. I saw some of the trees part ways and I raised my bow, an arrow already nocked. I was shaking like mad and I could feel even Cato shaking a little bit behind me. I heard what sounded like a tree toppling over and I turned back to Cato. He was gone from my back and I could see him fighting something black off.

With the rain pouring into my eyes and the arena as dark as it was I could hardly see. Taking in a deep breath I went to walk up to Cato to help but right as I did I heard an earth shattering roar behind me. I turned back with my bow raised and fired blindly. Judging from the load roar I assumed that I had hit the mutt, but I definitely hadn't killed it. It was so dark that it was impossible to see. The thing reared up and swiped a huge paw out. Just like the wolf mutt had. I tried to dart back but it was faster than me. Swinging its paw down it knocked me off balance, shredding its claws across my forehead.

Just where Clove's knife had yesterday. I let out a piercing scream at the sudden pain and I felt tears well up in my eyes. The animal dropped down over me and I stared at it. It was huge and was towering over me. It had a pretty golden fur on it and bright gold eyes. Long fangs stuck out of its mouth and a furry mane shot out from around its neck. My eyes widened as I realized what the animal was. I had heard of it before. It had lived before the uprising on a continent called Africa. It was a lion. The King of the Jungle. A man eater.

I brought my hand up to my forehead and squeaked lowly as I realized that skin was hanging freely off of my temple. It was much worse than the injury that Clove had given me yesterday. The lion roared at me again and brought its mouth down to me. Without thinking I jumped backwards as far as I could in the mud and felt its jaws clamp around my shin. I screamed loudly at the pain that radiated through me. It was horrible. Bringing up my bow I slammed it down onto the head of the mutt and it looked up at me with a growl. I slammed my foot into its head, even though I knew that it would do nothing.

But I was too panicked to grab an arrow. The lion reared back and came to thrash out at me again. But before it landed I rolled to the side, coughing as I rolled into the mud that the rain had created. My heart was thumping out of my chest as I watched the animal run back to me. I slipped through the mud and water running as fast as I could. I turned back and blindly fired an arrow. It let out a high-pitched shriek and I imagined that I might have hit it in the leg or paw. Not a kill shot. Right when I had gotten into a smaller area of the clearing I ducked down, narrowly avoiding the claws of the lion.

Slowly I slipped from behind the trees and screamed when I ran headfirst into something. I raised my bow but realized that it was only Cato. He stared nervously at my forehead and I shook my head at him. We had bigger problems to worry about. Like the fact that the lion mutt still wasn't far from us. And I couldn't keep firing arrows. I would run out and it was too hard to keep collecting them. I heard it growling but I couldn't see it. We were hidden under a tree, both of us trying to steady our fast breathing. I was afraid that my heart was pumping so loudly that the mutt could hear it.

Cato tapped on my shoulder to get me to move and I nodded at him. He slowly pushed me out of the tree and I gasped as I realized that the lion mutt had completely torn apart the clearing. Trees were toppled everywhere and mud was thrown up everywhere. Grabbing onto Cato's shoulder, I pulled him from the tree. We stepped out into the open and right when I thought that the coast was clear the mutt came dashing back into the clearing. I gasped and was pushed ahead by Cato.

"Run!" he yelled.

I started off immediately, concerned with keeping myself alive. My head was throbbing and I was hardly able to keep my balance with the slick ground. Water was splashing everywhere and I could hardly see as water and blood came pouring into my eyes. Everything was burning. I hadn't gotten over my injuries yesterday. My vision was going blurry at the blood loss but I forced myself to get over it. All I had to do was get rid of Coral. Then I got to go home. Prim. Katniss. Gale. Cato grabbed me and steadied me as I tripped over a root and he glanced over at me, his eyes widening when he saw how bad the wound was.

"Are you alright?" Cato asked.

I wasn't but he needed to think that I was. "I'm fine. They'll fix me up. I'm fine," I insisted.

"Aspen, we need to split up," he said.

I widened my eyes. "No! No, Cato. We can -"

He cut me off. "It can only follow one of us. You go left, I'll go right. Run to the Cornucopia. I will meet you there," he said.

"Cato -"

"I will meet you there. Go."

"Okay."

I didn't want to split up with him but he was right. It was our only chance. "Be careful," he said, before splitting to the right at a tree.

Sprinting off to the left I thought that the lion mutt would follow me but I heard Cato yelling to attract the mutt. It made me sick. He was going to sacrifice himself so that I could get away. All I could hope was that he would be fast enough so that we would meet up at the Cornucopia. I hadn't made it this far for Cato to die right now. Not with barely an hour left in the Games. They were almost over. I knew it. The lion roared and I heard the roars get softer as Cato drew it off of my tail.

He'll be fine. He's going to live. I wanted to stop and burst into tears but I knew that I couldn't do that. It wouldn't have done anything. I had to keep pushing. Just a little while longer. I could feel the lose skin on my forehead dragging down and the pain as the rain entered the wound was searing, but I had to keep going. You made it this far. Don't give up. We weren't far from the Cornucopia. We were only about a two minute dead sprint. And I was going even faster than that. Cato was smart to go there. We could get on top of the structure, away from the mutts. As of now, the Tributes weren't the threat, the mutts were.

Dashing around a tree I was met with a huge mutt. I gasped and stumbled back. I should have known that they would send another one after me. I looked up at the animal. It wasn't another lion. It was something that I had seen before. They would pop up in the woods in District 12 from time to time. It was a bear. Just like the one that had once attacked Katniss and me. I almost laughed. I would have if it was a little less terrifying. They probably heard me up on the Capitol rooftop. This was their idea of a cruel joke.

The Girl on Fire and now the bear. Someone had a very good sense of humor. Although I wasn't fond of seeing the bear again. This one was enormous. It stood at probably about nine feet tall and it walked like it was stalking its prey. The black fur was raised and its claws were like sharp blades. Its eyes were a startling white and it snarled as it walked up to me. I thought that it might stalk me the same way that the wolf mutt had almost two weeks ago and I waited for it, hoping that I would be able to outrun the beast.

But it was not like the wolf mutt. The bear immediately launched itself at me and I screamed loudly as it chased after me. I turned back and fired an arrow. It was a direct hit but it didn't affect the bear. It roared at me but my arrow - sticking out of it's chest - was useless. Of course it was. My only chance now was to outrun it. So I tucked tail and ran for my life. Being so large it caught up to me quickly. Without warning it pounced onto me, its claws piercing through my back and pressing me down into the mud.

Rain was pouring down around me and I screamed as it pressed its weight down on me. The razor sharp claws tore through my shirt and skin, piercing the skin of my back. Just like the wolf mutt. My spine was cracking painfully and I knew that if I didn't get out of here soon it would break my back. And that would be game over for me. Grabbing a knife from my sheath I shoved it back into the bears paw. It roared loudly and I screamed when it tore its claws out of my back. It ripped skin clean off of my back and I felt it tug on a rib. I screamed loudly but forced myself to get up. I was going to live.

All of my pain thus far had not been for nothing. I was getting out of this fucking place. I turned back and fired another arrow but it barely clipped the side of the bear. I was disoriented and not much of a shot right now. Don't waste the arrows. Awkwardly I stood up and realized that I needed to get out of here and fast. Water was flooding up to my ankles now and I knew that the Gamemakers were trying to push the Tributes into the Cornucopia. They wanted everyone together. They wanted a fight and a brutal one. They wanted to injure us first.

After slipping twice I moved to the side and went to head back to the Cornucopia when the bear came running at me. I tried to grab another arrow but I was too slow. The bear pressed me into the tree in front of me harshly and I gasped as it broke the arrow that I was holding. The bear slammed me into the tree and I hissed in pain as my ribs dug into the tree. The mutt roared in my ear and I was glad that I was still partially deaf. The bear was breathing heavily against my neck and no matter how much I struggled, it wasn't releasing me.

It finally pulled its head away from my neck and I took a deep breath in, but I should have known that it wasn't over. No. The worst thing that could have happened suddenly happened. The saliva slopped down over my shoulder and I knew what was going to happen. But I wasn't able to stop it in time. The bear clamped its jaws over my shoulder and I felt its teeth rip into me. I screamed a deafening scream as the animal pulled away from me, tearing my skin away with it. I let out a pathetic cry as I saw the skin that had once covered my shoulder now hung from its mouth.

It wasn't just going to attack me. It was going to eat me alive. But it wasn't. I was not going to let this thing eat me. I was going to be back in District 12 in a matter of days. I pushed myself up from the ground and cried out at the searing pain as the rain pelted against my shoulder. The bear was chewing on my skin and while it was distracted, I pulled another arrow out. I nocked it and slowly pulled the arrow back, not wanting to alert it. Releasing the arrow, it soared into the bear's chest and I heard the loud roar come from it.

Unfortunately that arrow did no more than the first one. Did it even have a heart? The thing looked up to me and I could have sworn that I saw the anger flash through its eyes. It clumsily followed me as I tore off back to the Cornucopia and I screamed as branches cut through the wounds that were all over me by now. I heard more deep growling coming from back behind me and I cried out softly. The damned thing wasn't going to let me live through our fight. But imagining the cheering back in District 12 for me to live - particularly from Prim - kept me running.

It didn't stop the momentary doubt. I hadn't even gotten into a fight with a Tribute yet and I was already on death's door. The bear was running behind me and I felt the ground rattling as it ran. I finally darted through the opening in the trees and let out a loud whoop when I saw the metallic structure of the Cornucopia. No one was there yet. I feared for Cato's safety for a moment but I knew that he was alright. I hadn't heard a cannon yet. I ran forward and hit the Cornucopia but I realized with fear in my heart that I wasn't tall enough to get up onto the structure. And I only had two arrows left. I had to save them.

Eyes locked onto me, I felt my hands shake as the bear ran up to me. I had a plan but I had no idea if it would work. And if it didn't I was as good as dead. I stood completely still, letting the bear run up to me. Tears were filling in my eyes again but I pushed them back. Be strong, you can win this. You can go home. Prim. Katniss. Gale. The bear opened its jaws to tear into me and just when it was a stride away from me, I screamed and moved to the side. The bear hit the Cornucopia with its jaws open and the heavy impact broke the jaws apart. The bear lay on the ground, nearly dead, and I shakily walked up to it.

There was still some of my skin in its mouth and I cried as I pulled my only knife out of my pants. Somehow I was still alive. Somehow my very stupid plan had walked. But it wasn't over yet. There was likely another mutt out there somewhere that was planning to come after me. I limped over the bear and cried out as it tried to get up and climb over to me. But it was too late. It only cried in agony. It was a kill of mercy. It couldn't control what it was doing and I didn't want to see it in pain. I raised my knife and sunk it into the bear's heart, effectively killing it.

There was still no cannon. No one else had been killed by an of the mutts yet. I let out a few deep breaths as I walked back to the Cornucopia. I stood on the back of the bear and cried out whenever I felt the thing move. It was just me shifting it. The thing was dead. I had to keep telling myself that. I grabbed the top of the Cornucopia and shrieked loudly as I pulled myself up. It was so slick from rain that it was almost impossible to get up. But finally I threw my leg up and over and managed to lift myself off of the bear.

Flopping onto the metal surface of the Cornucopia I let out a few shaky breaths and managed to keep my tears at bay. They weren't going to let me live if they thought that I was being weak. They would only send more after me. So I forced myself to keep going. It would only be so long before they would send another attack after me. I could hardly stand and I could only imagine what it would be like if I ended up having to face off against everyone. My head was pounding roughly and my body was bleeding all over. My eyes were fading in and out and I couldn't help but to lay at the edge of the Cornucopia.

Just ten seconds. That was all that I allowed myself to rest. Just so that I would be ready for the next fight. I lifted my head slightly to see if anyone was coming and I screamed loudly as a huge mutt came bouncing against the edge of the Cornucopia. It knocked me back and I yelled as its claws hit me in the cheek. I stood shakily and watched as two of the huge mutts bounced off of the edge of the structure, clearly fed up that they couldn't reach me.

I stood and backed away from the mutts. They looked like large dogs and were maybe six feet tall. They were some of the smallest of the mutts that I had ever seen but they looked no less deadly. In fact I was sure that there was something even more deadly about the pack of mutts because they were small. There was something in them that was horrible. But I couldn't quite tell what it was that made them so dangerous. I was surprised that they all looked similar but completely different.

Normally mutts all looked exactly the same. The Capitol didn't want to bother giving them their own personalities and looks. They were just carbon copies. But these mutt looked like they were actually designed to look different from the others. The one that was on my left was short, about half of a foot shorter than the others. It had dark brown fur, almost completely black and dark brown eyes. The other one was larger and had a reddish auburn colored fur. It had bright green eyes and looked at me with a look of pure hatred. They both did. They all did.

Unfortunately more were coming. I wasn't getting out of this easily. The mutts were beginning to assemble. As they joined together, they raised up again to stand easily on their back legs giving them an eerily human quality. It also put them almost where I was standing. Each had a thick coat, some with fur that was straight and sleek, others curly, and the colors varied from jet black to what I could only describe as blonde. Just like mine. There was still something else about them, something that made the hair rise up on the back of my neck, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

It was driving me nuts. There was something about these mutts. I reached back and got another arrow. I was almost out but I had to be careful with these. They looked like they might have been able to get up here with me. They put their snouts on the horn, sniffing and tasting the metal, scraping their paws over the surface and then made high-pitched yipping sounds to one another. That must have been how they communicated because the pack backed up as if to make room. Then one of them, a good-size mutt with silky waves of blonde fur, took a running start and leaped onto the horn.

A gasp escaped my mouth. Its back legs must have been incredibly powerful because it landed a mere ten feet below me, its pink lips pulled back in a snarl. For a moment it hung there, and in that moment I realized what else unsettled me about the mutts. The green eyes glowering at me were unlike any dog or wolf, any canine that I had ever seen. They were unmistakably human. And that revelation had barely registered when I noticed the collar with the number one inlaid with jewels and the whole horrible thing hit me. The blonde hair, the green eyes, the number... it was Glimmer.

A shriek escaped my lips and I started to have trouble holding the arrow in place. I had been waiting to fire, only too aware of my dwindling supply of arrows. Waiting to see if the creatures could, in fact, climb. And it seemed that they could. But now, even though the mutt had begun to slide backward, unable to find any purchase on the metal, even though I could hear the slow screeching of the claws like nails on a blackboard, I fired into its throat. Its body twitched and flops onto the ground with a thud.

They were all looking at me like they hated me. I noticed something glinting off of the red ones neck and I leaned down. It was a small tag with the number five engraved in it. I glanced over at the brown furred one to see if it had the same tag on it. It had an eleven engraved into that collar. Then it was their eyes that caught my attention again. Were those their actual eyes? My hands clasped over my mouth. I had seen them before. That chocolate brown, sweet and innocent. And the bright green eyes, observational and mocking. What the hell had these monsters in the Capitol done?

"Rue. Finch. What did they do to you?" I breathed out, goosebumps rising on my arms.

What the hell had they done to these poor girls? It was just a second later that a smaller and burly one walked forward. It was obviously Clove and it looked pissed. I raised a knife to the mutts but sighed as I dropped it, letting the blade clatter to the top of the structure. I couldn't do it. It was no use. They couldn't climb and they were actually keeping me protected from other Tributes. And all of them... They had been people. Some of them had been my friends. I dropped to my knees and sighed deeply.

This had to be over soon. It had to be. I heard grass rustling behind me and I turned back quickly. I reached back for an arrow and aimed. If it was one of the bigger mutts or Coral I would have to fight. But a smile crossed my face as I saw who it was. My own District partner who I hadn't seen since I had dropped the Tracker Jacker nest on the Careers. I sheathed the arrow as Peeta limped weakly towards the Cornucopia. I couldn't help but smile. I had thought that he would be dead with the mutts running around.

"Peeta!" I yelled.

He ran straight to me on the side without the mutts. "Aspen!" Peeta shouted.

I let my arm hang down and I grunted as he caught my arm. He grabbed onto me and I weakly pulled him up. Once he was on top of the Cornucopia I fell back and screamed when he fell on me. He babbled an apology and got off of me, helping me stand.

"I thought you were dead. You had an infection. What happened?" I asked, pulling him into me for a hug.

He laughed and made a point to avoid my shoulder and lower back. Besides being dirty and limping weakly, Peeta appeared to be relatively healthy. "Sponsors. None as good as you or Cato have but a few people wanted me to live. I wanted to go to the feast but I wasn't strong enough. The medicine isn't that great but it kept the infection at bay for me to get out here," Peeta said.

"Haymitch helped you then too," I said.

"He likes you more," Peeta said.

"I doubt that."

"Are you alright?" Peeta asked.

I smiled at him. He was the type to make sure that I was okay before he was. "I'll live," I said.

He smiled as we leaned back into each other again. He might have sort-of betrayed me before but I knew that he had really been my friend this entire time. He had been protecting me from the beginning. I had my hand halfway down his back and I smiled at him as I buried my face in his shoulder. It was good to be back with him. Even if it was just for a second. All of a sudden I felt a searing pain in my arm and I shouted loudly in Peeta's ear. I knew that it had probably hurt him but he fell before I could gauge a reaction.

As he fell I felt my arm twist pain fully under his weight. I cried out loudly and hissed in pain as Peeta's weight pulled down on my arm. I flipped him over with my spare hand and realized that we were attached by a knife. It had been thrown through my arm and was embedded in Peeta's back. Right where his lungs were. I panicked as I saw the blood pouring out of my arm and his back. He had been hit in a vital spot and I couldn't afford to lose much more blood. Taking in a deep breath I ripped the knife out of my arm and screamed when it ran against the bone roughly.

"Peeta, Peeta, look at me. Look at me!" I cried.

Flipping Peeta over I saw that blood was rushing out of his mouth and I began to cry. He had internal bleeding and I knew that he wouldn't last much longer. No. Not like this. Why couldn't it have been painless? This was horrible. He was coughing roughly and I could tell that he was having a hard time breathing. His lungs were more than likely filling with blood. He would be dead in less than a minute and there was nothing that he could do.

"Peeta. Look at me," I begged, as he titled his head back slightly. His eyes were just barely open and he was smiling at me.

"It's alright, Aspen."

"You're okay," I breathed out, repeating what I had said to Rue before she had died.

Peeta laid his hand on my face and he smiled brightly at me. A tear slipped out and landed on Peeta's face. I saw that his teeth were coated in thick blood and I had to stop from vomiting right there. I would be strong for him, until the end. He deserved that much.

"I'm sorry, Peeta," I said, forcing the tears back.

"It's okay. Aspen, look at me." I glanced up at him with a sad smile. I would try to be brave for him. "You will win this. Please win it for me," Peeta said.

"Of course."

"Go home and tell my family that I tried. Tell Katniss that I'm sorry."

"I will."

"Be with Cato. Do not let them turn you into something that you aren't," he said.

I finally let my tears fall. I wiped them away quickly though. This wasn't over. "I won't."

Peeta pulled me close and put my ear to his mouth. "You are not a pawn in their Games," he said.

And I never would be. Never. There was still one more person that I had to get rid of. Coral. She had killed Peeta and now I was going to kill her. He would be avenged. Even if it killed me. "I'm sorry Peeta," I whispered.

He shook his head. "It's not your fault," he said.

I screamed and jumped back as one of the lion mutts jumped up to the roof of the Cornucopia and ripped Peeta away from me. "No!" I yelled.

I tried to grab him back. But I was too slow. With its free paw, it swiped out at me and I screamed as it tore my uninjured arm to ribbons. I fell back and jumped harshly when I heard the cannon for Peeta go off. Slowly I stood and glanced up to the sky as Peeta's face was shown. No, no, no. How could that have happened? Peeta was supposed to die a painless death. Not like that.

It's not over, Aspen. Get up and slaughter her. I wiped my face clean of the water and blood and even mud that was splattered over my face. It was time to get up and fight. Peeta's death would not go without being avenged. I turned back and let out a small strangled noise. I would miss him so much. I missed him already and I could only imagine how his family felt. They weren't the nicest people in the world but that was their baby. I wanted nothing more than to just drop down on the top of the structure and let myself bleed out but I couldn't.

I had not made it this far, watched friends die, and fallen in love just to give up now. I was going to win this. There was only one person left. One last kill. I could do this. I had something to live for. Prim. Katniss. Gale. I would get back to them just like I had promised. I heard the trees rustling in the background and I watched as two bodies were thrown from the woods. Cato was towering over Thresh, both with their swords in their hands. Thresh knocked Cato to the side and I noticed that he had a huge gash in his forehead. It wasn't quite as bad as mine.

But it was still relatively nasty. He would bleed out soon. We both needed help as soon as this was over. And it was about to be. My heart jumped into my throat as I saw him and I let a small smile cross my face. He seemingly had the upper hand in the fight and I was sure that he was going to live. There was no way that he wouldn't win the fight. He had to. I went to yell to him when I felt myself being knocked roughly to the side. My head smashed into the roof of the Cornucopia and I slid across it, nearly slipping off of the edge from the water.

For a moment I feared that it was a mutt who had gotten up here, but I knew what it really was. Coral. I glanced up and shook my head clear of the pain. I noticed her jump down onto me and I cried out loudly as her fist drove into my temple where the torn skin was. I could hear my name being called from afar but I wasn't able to respond. She sat herself on my lap and I looked up at her. She had a few small blood stains on her shirt and she looked like she had gone mad. Her eyes were wide and she held two glinting blades out, both lingering over my arms.

She smirked at me and I kicked out, thrashing against her, but I could get no traction on the wet metal. She laughed and made a small slit under my chin. I bit my lip, forcing myself not to cry out in pain. "Hey, Twelve. Been a long time since I've seen you. How have you been?" she asked.

"Peachy," I growled.

I thrashed out as my eyes focused on the blades in her hand. They had to have been a gift. They had never been in the Games before as they were a rather uncommon weapon. But clearly they were what she was the best with. They were called sai blades, not very common at all. They had one long blade in the middle and two smaller, sharper blades on each end of the main blade. They probably weren't as expensive as Finnick's trident had been, but they certainly weren't cheap. She noticed where my gaze was fixed and smirked.

"Oh, you like them? They were in my bag. They're my weapon of choice. Didn't think I'd get to use them in these Games," she said, rotating the blade in her left hand. "What was in your bag?"

I glared at her and she smirked down at me. "So this was your plan all along? Be tough enough so that no one wants to mess with you and you earn yourself a spot in the Careers. But you were just boring enough to keep attention off of you. Good plan," I commended.

"Thank you. I thought so too," she said.

"But there's still one thing that I don't get," I said.

She tilted her head to the side, motioning for me to continue. "Go on," she said.

"You killed him. You killed Peeta. Why?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes like she had known that this question was coming. She dropped one of the blades to my chest and I felt my heart beat quicken. I wasn't going to show her that I was scared, but she knew that I was in the weaker position. If she really wanted to she could end this right now. She would be the female Victor. But she wouldn't. She was a Career and they liked to draw things out. I hoped whichever one of the boys that won, if she killed me, I hoped that they would kill her.

"One more person in my way. Yeah, I know, one male and one female can go home but whatever. It just makes one less person that has to be in their fight. Which one do you think will win?" she asked, motioning for me to look at the boys.

Thresh was doing well holding his own but I knew that Cato was still going strong. Still, the blood loss must have been taking a toll on him. "Whichever one wins will kill you," I warned.

"We'll see. You wanna know why I really killed Lover Boy? Because I knew that it would hurt you," she said. My vision went red. I'm going to kill her. "And I was right! Your last moments will be your worst."

"These are not my last moments," I hissed.

A second later there was a low growl that came from behind me. "Hey, remember him?" she asked.

I glanced back. The other mutts had backed off, the ones that looked like the Tributes. Towering over the Cornucopia was the same wolf mutt that had nearly killed me earlier in the Games. It looked like the exact same one that I had killed and it looked like it wasn't very happy with me. The wolf snapped at me and caught my hair in its mouth. I yelled and tugged myself away from it, ripping a little bit of hair out in the process. It thrashed up and came dangerously close to jumping onto the roof. I panicked and moved back on the Cornucopia, almost managing to throw Coral off of me.

"Get off of me!" I yelled at her.

There weren't many ways out of this fight and I knew that. She unfortunately had the upper hand. But she wouldn't for long. I was going to kill her no matter how hard it was. I had to try. I had made that promise already. Prim. Katniss. Gale. As long as I kept thinking about them, I would kill her. Ripping my hands free from Coral's grasp, I punched her in the face and grabbed her around the throat. She fell back in shock and the two of us went sliding across the roof as I rolled on top of her.

The howls and grunts of the mutts were going off all over the place and I could hear the metallic rings of the blades. Come on, Cato. Win this. The mutts must have been specifically set to come near us. Their sword fight was fun enough. But this was gold. Coral grunted as I used my nails to rake across her chest. She howled and I used her momentary lapse in judgement to grab my knife and shove it onto her. She noticed me at the last moment and moved to the side so that my knife went straight into her shoulder. Painful but not a kill shot.

In fury, she reared back and yanked herself up. Sliding on the metal surface I stared at Coral with wide eyes. We were going to go flying off of the Cornucopia soon if we weren't careful. And neither one of us would be able to fight off the mutts. I knew that there wasn't much left that I could do. I only had one little plan left and it wasn't a good one. It was basically suicide. Those tended to be the only plans that I ever had. It certainly wouldn't be a wise choice. But it was the only thing that I could think of. Coral rushed forward and I grabbed an arrow.

I sunk it into her leg as she ran up to me and I heard her cry of pain, but then everything went into slow motion. The sai blade came down into my stomach and I took in one deep breath. It had punctured me in three different spots in the stomach and I could already feel myself fading. I heard a cannon and a loud shout, and for a moment I thought that it was for me. But it wasn't. Either Cato or Thresh was dead. It had to be Cato. I could practically hear the stunned silence in the Capitol and all over Panem. I fell limply, Coral dragging down with me from the pain in her knee. She looked victorious.

Her mouth was moving but the words were silent. Maybe it was because I was half-deaf. Or maybe it was because I couldn't believe it. She laughed loudly and I waited for her to move over me, just like I knew she would. With the last bit of strength that I could muster I ripped the blade out of my stomach with a loud shout and before she could stop me I drove the blade into her heart. She gasped and her eyes went wide. She would die first. She fell back off of me and I cried as I fell off to the side of her, tugging at my wounds.

"You - you," she said with a raspy voice. Please let Cato be alive. I can't lose him too. "You won't live with yourself. T - Th - This will haunt you. When y - you t - try to sleep at night y - you'll remember me. A - And you won't ever forget this. This w - will kill you," she said, struggling to keep her eyes from rolling back in her head.

Fury radiating through my veins at her words, I weakly stood and kicked her in the stomach. I slipped on the wet roof, barely noticing that the rain had stopped, leaving my hair sticking to the side of my face. "Fuck you," I growled.

With the last bit of strength I had, I roughly kicked her off of the roof. Her body slipped to the ground and I heard the mutts below growling and tearing what remained of her apart. It felt like hours had passed that I listened to her scream before her cannon finally went off. I jumped, falling onto my knees and letting the tears slip out. I had won. I was going home. But I wasn't going home whole. Huge chunks of me were missing. The mutt's growls finally silenced and I watched as they moved off back into the woods. The sun came back out and I weakly slid to the edge of the Cornucopia, falling off of it.

Everything hurt. Breathing hurt. But I had won. That was what I had to keep reminding myself of. I hit the ground roughly and collapsed onto my knees. I was now a Victor. They hadn't killed me. I covered my mouth when I saw the torn apart remains of what had once been Coral. I scoffed and moved away from the torn up pile that she was now in. It wasn't even me that had killed her. It was the mutts. On my knees I slowly moved away from the body and looked up when I heard my name being called.

"Aspen!" the voice yelled.

I looked up to see Cato running towards me. I cried out softly and let him pull me into his arms. He leaned up to me and kissed me like he hadn't seen me in years. He had a few cuts and scratches and a pretty bad gash on his arm, but other than that he looked alright.

"Are you alright?" Cato asked.

"I'll live."

"What the hell did she do to you? Look at me, you're going to be fine. We're it. We won. We're Victors," he said hollowly.

"Hooray," I said cheerlessly.

"It's okay. They're going to take us back now. We're going home. You'll see Prim. Katniss and Gale too. Come on," he said, hooking an arm under my own and pulling me up.

Crying out at the sudden pain that shot through me, Cato looked at me, silently asking me what was wrong. But I shook my head at him. Nothing was wrong. We were the last ones left. We had won. We would both get to go home. Cato slowly dragged me over towards the lake. Nothing had happened yet but they probably had to take the bodies first. So Cato walked me over to the lake and slowly helped me take a few long drinks. I didn't care if it was poisoned. They would fix me in a minute if it was.

There wasn't a piece of me that cared anymore. I just wanted to go home. A Mockingjay gave the long, low whistle, and tears of relief filled my eyes. We were going home. The hovercraft appeared and I watched as it took the remains of Coral's and Thresh's mostly uninjured-looking bodies away. Now they would take us. They were about to announce the Victors, just as they always did. The Capitol, District 2, and District 12 would erupt into cheers. Now we could go home. But again there was no response.

"We won, Cato. We get to go home," I said.

He nodded at me with a smile. "We're okay," he said.

"Why haven't they announced it yet? We didn't miss a Tribute, did we?" I asked worriedly.

He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head and looking to the sky. "No. Something's wrong," he said.

The speakers of the arena rang out and I had to strain my ears to hear it. With my ears being as damaged as they were it was hard to hear most of what they were saying. "Attention. Attention Tributes." I nocked a final arrow, just in case. "There has been a slight... rule change. The previous provision allowing for two Victors from the opposite genders has been... revoked. Only one Victor maybe crowned. Good luck. And may the odds be ever in your favor," Claudius Templesmith announced before the speakers went silent.

We both seemed to think about it for a moment before I noticed Cato shaking his head. He let his hand drop from my waist and I struggled to keep myself upright. Cato was pacing quickly and I could tell that he was about to explode. I stared at Cato in disbelief as the truth sank in. They never intended to let us both live. This had all been devised by the Gamemakers to guarantee the most dramatic showdown in history. And like a fool, I bought into it.

"No. No they can't do that. No!" Cato yelled.

I jumped at the sudden volume increase. "Cato..." I said weakly.

"You said that two people can win! One male and one female! That's who's left! The Games are over, we - are - done!" he yelled to the sky, enunciating each word.

It would only make the final fight even more dramatic. Without a doubt everyone in the Capitol was crying and sobbing over what was sure to happen. District's 2 and 12 were likely to be in a stunned silence, waiting for the first one of us to make a move. Weakly walking over to Cato, I placed my hand softly on his shoulder. Cato turned to me with depressed eyes. He whipped back around to me and his face softened when he saw that I was giving him a pleading look.

"Cato. Cato. Stop," I said.

He stared at me. "We have to do something," he said.

"We can't. They never intended for two people to be able to win. They only did that so they could draw us together. We would be determined to win together so we would be the last two standing. They wanted this fight to happen. This is all that they've wanted the entire time. They wanted this fight. They never wanted us to be together," I said, hardly able to keep myself standing.

"Aspen... We're leaving here."

I backed away from him and raised my arms out to the side, opening up the wounds in my stomach. "Do it. You kill me," I said softly, tears lingering at the corners of my eyes.

He stared at me like I had gone mad and grabbed my hand, forcing it down. I hissed at the pain and shook my head softly. It hurt like hell but the emotional pain was worse right now. "What?" he asked, shaking his head.

"We have to."

"No, Aspen, you've just lost a lot of blood you don't know what you're talking about. You don't want me to kill you," he said quickly.

"Of course not."

He was right that I didn't want him to kill me. I wanted the two of us to win together and get to go back home. I wanted us to get to be together and I wanted these Games to never happen again. But that was the problem. It was just things that I wanted. Not things that would happen. And I was lucid, I knew what I was asking him.

"I know what I'm telling you, Cato. I'll be dead in a few minutes. You kill me and you get to go home. You get to be the Victor just like you always wanted to be. Make your family proud," I said, setting my hand on his face and giving him a small kiss before pulling away.

To my shock, I saw tears swell at the corner of his eyes. He had been holding his sword and I jumped as he threw it to the ground. "No, I will not kill you. They don't get to do this. I won't. Not after everything," he said, stepping up to me.

"They'll wait until I bleed out."

"You've got one arrow left. Do it," Cato said.

Now I knew how he felt. "No. I can't. I won't," I said determinedly.

"Do it now. Before they send the mutts back. I don't want to die like that."

"No! You stab me! I'm as good as dead anyways! Shoot me and live with it," I demanded.

"You know I can't," Cato said. He rolled his arm over, pointing to the middle of his forearm. "This vein right here. If I cut it I'll bleed out in a minute. I'll go first."

I ran after him and ripped his arm off to the side. "You are not killing yourself," I snapped.

"It's what I want, Aspen. I'm not proud of what I did in here. But I'm proud of you. I asked to be here. You didn't. You deserve to go home. This is all I ever wanted. I got it. And I got to spend some time with you."

My eyes were watering and I had no doubt that everywhere, all over Panem, people were in hysterics. "Please, don't. Don't leave me alone here," I begged.

"Listen," he said pulling me to my feet. "We both know they have to have a Victor. It can only be one of us. Please, take it. For me."

And he went on about how he loved me, how he had done what he came to do and he had asked to be here, what life would be like with the knowledge that I was dead, but I had stopped listening because his previous words were trapped in my head, thrashing desperately around.

We both know they have to have a Victor. And suddenly Peeta's words came back to me and the truth of his words occurred to me. Don't let them control you. They didn't control me. They never had. They never would. Yes, they had to have a Victor. Without a Victor, the whole thing would blow up in the Gamemakers' faces. They would have failed the Capitol. Might possibly even be executed, slowly and painfully while the cameras broadcast it to every screen in the country. If Cato and I were both to die, or they thought we were... Even if we did, I would watch and laugh from the next life.

For a moment I thought that my silence might have tipped them off. I waited for the Capitol to say something, to tell us that we had won over the Capitol and they were going to let us live. But no such thing ever happened. So I shoved my bow and arrow to the ground. Anger spiking through me, my final plan shot through my mind. It was just about as terrible as my plan for Coral but it was the only one that I had. I slipped a knife out of my sheath and handed it over to him, grabbing the sai that had once been Coral's and holding it in my other. Cato shook his head and pushed the knife away.

"Aspen, I'm not killing you. I don't want it, take it -"

I cut him off and shook my head. "That's not what it's for," I said.

He raised an eyebrow, not understanding what exactly I was getting at. But he still took the knife. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"You're right. The Capitol. They control everything. They knew how these Games were going to go from the beginning. They knew who their Victor would be. But they don't control us anymore. This is over. They don't need a Victor. We don't have to give them one. You don't have much time. I'll be gone in a few minutes," I said, and the realization crossed his face.

Turning the knife over in his hand a few times, he looked over at me and grabbed my hand tightly. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. You don't have to do it."

"I'm not leaving you alone, remember?" Cato asked.

Even facing death I smiled weakly. He wasn't at all the man that I had originally expected him to be. He wasn't at all. He had proven that time and time over. I wasn't really sure about my plan, but this was my way of telling them that they didn't own me. And that they weren't that strong. They wouldn't make Cato and I turn on each other. Cato leaned forward and kissed me as gently as he ever had. He grabbed my chin and sweetly grabbed it, making me smile. We stood together with our spare hands locked.

"On three?" he asked.

"Yes. Hold them out. I want everyone to see," I said.

We both pointed the blades of the weapons and I took in a deep breath. This had never happened before. Would they really let us do it? "One..." Cato muttered.

"Two..." I whispered.

Please take Prim out of the room, Katniss. Don't let her think that this was her fault. It wasn't. None of this. Forgive me, Gale, for everything. I love you so much and you are the reason that I fought this hard. I'm sorry that this is the way that it all had to end. I wanted to see you both again, but it won't work out like that. Those were my last thoughts to my best friends. To my family. And to my parents. I'm coming, Mom, Dad. You'd be proud.

We didn't bother to say the last number, but we nodded at each other, knowing that it was time. Cato reached over and briefly brushed back my braid, a final moment of comfort. It was now or never. Maybe they really didn't care if we died. But they would. They would care the moment that they realized that they would have no Victor this year. I raised my blade along with Cato and went to throw it down into my heart. I didn't want to die but it was too late to stop. But right before I actually moved the blade, I heard the speakers from the arena start again.

"Stop! Stop!" Claudius Templesmith yelled loudly into the microphone and I let my hands drop to my side. "Ladies and gentlemen. May I present the winners of the Seventy Fourth Annual Hunger Games. From District 2, Cato Hadley and from District 12, Aspen Antaeus."

The speakers went blank again and I dropped the blade. Losing my balance, I fell into Cato's arms and the two of us went sprawling to the ground. I might have laughed but I wasn't really sure. The speakers were playing the reaction of the Capitol citizens. Like I had expecting, the roar was deafening. Literally. Cato looked like he was saying something but I couldn't hear him. I watched the hovercraft head over to us and we both looked at each other. We kissed briefly before I looked up. The hovercraft was extremely loud, drowning out the cheers, as it hovered above us. I moved to his ear and placed my hand on his neck.

"We did it. We won. We get to go home," I said.

Cato turned to smile at me. We were both broken. But we were together. The Capitol - for once - hadn't won. The doors to the hovercraft opened and I squinted at the bright light that came down on us. Two ladders were dropped but Cato wasn't letting go of me. He kept an arm around our waist as he locked his grip on me. The electric current froze us in our places as we slowly started to be raised up into the hovercraft. What happened once we were inside, I would never know. Before we entered it the world went black.

In The Tribute Recovery Center...

Seneca Crane slowly walked through the halls of the Tribute Center, everything blurry and the world muted. He had turned around at the last second to see what Aspen and Cato had done. What she had done. What was very likely about to get him killed. Seneca's hands were shaking as he walked up to the Tribute Recovery Center. They would both be in surgery by now. The Games were over, the Capitol was celebrating, and Panem was thrilled. But he was terrified. He had to see what had happened between the two Tributes in person. He had to see if they really looked as terrible as it seemed.

At the Tribute Recovery Center, everything was alive and buzzing with activity. In exam room one Victor Cato Hadley was being looked over, a heavy sedative pumping through his veins. He had a nasty gash above his head, a big opened wound in his arm, as well and a cracked rib. Along with plenty of scrapes and bruises that were commonly found in Victors when they first returned to the Capitol. But those were all easy fixes. He would be awake and as good as new in the morning. The only thing that would be any proof that he was ever in the arena were the videos.

Deciding that he could go back and check on the male Victor later, as he had far less life-threatening injuries, he headed to the emergency surgery room where Aspen Antaeus was currently being operated on. It wasn't like Seneca cared much for Cat Hadley anyways. He was just another Career. It was Aspen that he cared for. She had a list of injures for more extensive than her fellow Victor had. He pushed the door open and looked down at her. She looked horrible. She looked like a wild animal.

She had a large split in the skin around her temple. There was blood all over her forehead and Seneca could see the white of bone beneath it. He sighed and looked down her. She had large cuts all over her and she had broken a vertebrae. The doctors were confident that she would be fine, but she had been close to being paralyzed. Besides that she also had a broken arm and two broken toes. And, to his horror, both her lungs and heart had suffered small puncture wounds. She also had a cracked rib like Cato. In addition to that she had third degree burns all over her right arm and was mostly deaf in one ear.

All in all, she was lucky that she had come up with that plan when she did. Another few minutes and she would have been dead and Cato Hadley would have been the Victor. Just the way that it should have been. Seneca knew that it was his call whether or not to save her. The entire staff was looking at him for direction. But he was torn about what to do. They could save her, but he had to tell them to do it now. The beeping of the monitor slowed until Seneca waited with baited breath for the next beep.

When one never came he turned back to look at her. He walked up to the Victor in a slight panic but was pushed back by one of the doctors. She had gone into cardiac arrest and he felt his breath quicken when he saw that she was on a flat line. Dead. He waited as the doctors placed a pad on top of her chest and it gave her heart an electric shock. They pressed it to her once more before she slow beeping finally came back and the doctors were able to read a low blood pressure. They turned back to him and he felt his heart twist.

It was obvious that the Head Gamemaker was torn over what to do. If he saved her than the Capitol would be thrilled and he wouldn't have to deal with a potential uprising from District 12. Or District 2. Even they had lately become rather fond of her. Everyone was. But if he let her die then he wouldn't have to think about what future Games would be like. People wanting the two Victor rule to stay in place.

"Seneca," he heard President Snow call from behind him and he froze.

He had been hoping that it would be a few days before he saw the President again, but he should have figured that the older man would stop by to see how the girl was faring. "Sir?" Seneca asked, trying to keep his lunch down.

"I wondered if I might have a word with you," President Snow said.

Seneca nodded. It hadn't been a question. That much Seneca knew. "Yes, sir," Seneca said.

"How is she looking?"

With a deep sigh, Seneca turned back to the table on which Aspen was laying. Her shirt and pants had been pulled off. But for once he wasn't looking at her figure, he was looking at her wounds. "For now she's close to being dead. She just went into cardiac arrest. They saved her but they'll have to start working now. I have to give them the orders to save her soon. She suffered quite a bit of internal injuries and it won't be long before she falls back into cardiac arrest," Seneca said.

President Snow slowly nodded. "The boy?" President Snow asked.

"Cato Hadley will be fine. He's in surgery now for his arm and head," Seneca said.

"I figured as much."

"But what about her?" Seneca asked carefully, not wanting to push his buttons more than they had already.

President Snow looked back to the girl and sighed as he watched her body being washed off. She looked like she had been run over by a truck and he knew that she would feel strange when she woke up. She would be expecting to feel the pain but she would feel nothing. They would make it to the point where she wouldn't even be able to tell if the arena was just a nightmare.

"Save her," President Snow snapped.

The doctors immediately went to work, rushing and fussing over the girl. He watched them closely for a moment before turning back to look at his old friend. "It's the best choice," Seneca said slowly.

"You know, I honestly can't believe these Games. I've been surprised at outcomes before. I haven't seen the people so happy about their Victor in a long time. I think it was Finnick Odair who was the last person to get a reaction like that," President Snow said.

Seneca nodded. He hadn't been much older than Finnick had been when he had won the Games. "Yes. They adored him," Seneca said.

"They do. Just like they do with her. She's well loved," President Snow added.

The Head Gamemaker had to stifle the sigh that threatened to escape his mouth. He couldn't have been happier that the President had decided to save the female Victor. But he still wanted to know why he had chosen to save the girl that he seemed to hate so much.

"Sir, pardon me for saying anything but I would have thought that you had wanted her dead," Seneca said. President Snow lifted his eyebrow. "Look at everything that she did while she was in the Games."

Slowly President Snow paced the room and Seneca could tell how tense the air was. That was exactly what the President could do. Make everyone beyond nervous. "Funny isn't it?" President Snow asked.

Seneca cocked his head at the man. "Funny?" Seneca asked.

"She did so much damage yet she is so well loved. Normally I would say to kill her, let her die and say it was an accident. Do you know why I didn't tell you to do that?" Snow asked.

Seneca shook his head. "No, sir," he said.

"Because they love the idea of the two of them together. They love her so much. The people would be in an uproar if something happened to her. So we will save her. She will get up and go to the recap and crowning tomorrow," President Snow ordered, turning back to leave the room.

Seneca was about to say something to the President but he was saved by the head of the staff at the Tribute Recovery Center. The middle aged man with bright red hair walked up to President Snow and shook his head at the man. He looked nervous and Seneca couldn't blame him. He was about to tell the President no and he held held the life of the new female Victor in his hands.

"Sir, I'm not sure if she'll be up by tomorrow," he said. He jumped as the President turned back to him. "She has some extreme internal injuries. In fact, I'm almost positive that she won't be up by tomorrow."

The President shook his head and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He walked up to the head doctor with an even stare and motioned back to where Aspen lay, ready for a heart and lung surgery. "How long do you think that it will be before she's able to get up and walk to the recap?" he asked the younger man, challenging him to give a poor answer.

Seneca was no stranger to the term, don't shoot the messenger, and he had plenty of first hand experience of it. Especially working so close with the President and having to deliver him news of the arena. "At the least, probably about two days," the doctor announced, fearing the President's reaction.

"At the least?" President Snow asked tersely.

"She might be awake tomorrow but it will take her a while to gain the strength back to actually get up and be able to walk onto the stage. I suggest giving her at least three days and push back the ceremony," the doctor said gently.

The room was silent other than the beeping of the machines that Aspen was hooked up to. "One day pushed back is enough. She'll be up and ready for the ceremony in two days. Thank you," he said to the doctor, who looked disappointed at the outcome but nodded anyways, not daring to fight with the President.

"Yes, sir," the doctor said.

"Seneca, I'm going to head to the Broadcasting Center. It's time to do some damage control," he said.

"Yes, sir," Seneca said.

Everyone knew that right now the only safe thing to do was obey every one of President Snow's orders and not dare make him angry. President Snow turned and walked over to stand at Aspen's bedside. The skin over her stomach had been pulled apart and Seneca stared nervously. She looked dead, even though he knew that she wasn't. They were just preparing her for surgery. She would be fine. President Snow brushed a strand of hair away from her face and stared down at the girl.

"You have caused quite the chaos out there. Be prepared for a storm, Miss Antaeus. You've got more coming your way. The Games were just the beginning," he hissed, before turning and stomping out of the room.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

In District 12...

Hundreds of miles away from the intense air of the arena, in District 12, sat four people inside of the Everdeen household. Primrose, Katniss and their mother were all watching the screen closely, their faces heating up at the moment. None of them particularly wanted to be watching the screen right now. It wasn't because there was a fight that was hurting their girl. That much had already happened. They were almost used to seeing those moments. It was something much different that was keeping them silent.

Aspen was currently pressed to Cato, their hands roaming over each other and their mouths locked together. The Everdeen mother watched the pair with dark eyes for a moment. She wasn't a fan of the District 2 boy but she did see the way that Aspen looked at him. She thought of the girl like her own daughter so she would always be protective of her. After all, that was what she had promised her mother, the woman who had once been her best friend. She laughed lightly as she gauged the reaction of the other three people in the room.

Her youngest daughter Primrose Everdeen was watching the screen with wide eyes. Obviously she was shocked at what she was seeing. Even more than she had been during some of the more brutal moments that had happened to the girl. She thought about asking her youngest daughter to leave the room but she didn't see the point. She would know what was happening anyways. They had gone too far to think that it was just a normal kiss. Kids didn't get to be children anymore anyways and she knew that her daughter was wise beyond her twelve years.

Plus she was relatively confident that the Gamemakers would shut their broadcast off if the pair didn't stop. Either that or they would send something to separate the pair. Hopefully the former. She turned her gaze to her older daughter and let a small smile creep across her face. Katniss Everdeen looked extremely conflicted. There was a large blush on her face. She knew that while her daughter wanted Aspen to be happy, she wished that it had been with anyone but the District 2 male. The one who had caused so much trouble in these Games.

Part of her thought it was funny to watch the reaction of her oldest daughter. It was one of the few times that she had smiled since her husband died. She almost enjoyed watching the screen. It reminded her of the days that she had spent with her late husband. Unlike the other three in the room, Katniss's face was a bright red. She was obviously uncomfortable watching the pair have their fun but she was determined to watch the television. If for some reason Aspen wouldn't make it to the end she wanted to make sure she saw the last few moments of her friend's life.

Aspen had a good chance to win though. The only other living females were Finch, the girl from District 5, and Coral, the girl from District 4. Finch had gotten her bag first which had been filled with food and water. Coral on the other hand had gotten her bag from the feast after everyone else and the world had stared in confusion at her gift. Most people hadn't really even known what it was. It didn't matter. Aspen had a thirty-three percent chance to live. And as of today she was the most likely of the small group to make it.

Sighing deeply, she shifted her gaze to the fourth person in the room. The only male in the room wasn't a child of the eldest Everdeen but she treated him as one. She had always loved him. Gale Hawthorne was a good boy and she knew that her two girls as well as Aspen were fond of the boy. However she also knew that Gale favored one of the girls. He loved Aspen. That much was painfully obvious to every resident of District 12. She didn't blame him, for everything that Aspen had been through she was a wonderful girl. It had been clear to everyone that one day either Aspen or Katniss would marry Gale.

It had always been more likely to be Aspen. Things had changed now. Now it wasn't even clear if Aspen would ever come back home. But as of recently it seemed like the Everdeen and Hawthorne family would get to see the last Antaeus again. And if she did get to come back everyone knew that her heart would belong to the Hadley boy. She had also recently noticed that Gale and Katniss had become closer. They would spend most nights lying together, curled up on the couch, making sure that Aspen was safe. They cared for the older girl and their love for her had driven the two closer together in the past few weeks.

She watched as Katniss hooked her arm around her sister. It was rather sweet to see. Ms. Everdeen was glad that someone else could take care of her youngest daughter when she couldn't bring herself to do it. As much as she tried, Ms. Everdeen just couldn't work up the motivation. Katniss seemed to be ready to pull her younger sister out of the room at any minute. Primrose sighed and shook her sister's arm off of her. Prim loved Katniss more than anything but she was more of a mother than her actual mother was.

She knew that her older sister was only trying to protect the innocence that Prim had left but she didn't want the protection. The youngest Everdeen knew what was about to happen and she didn't care. She wouldn't have cared anyways. She knew that it was something that people who loved each other did. She wanted to see Aspen be happy. Even if it meant watching something that was only meant for private eyes. Prim wanted to know that if Aspen did end up dying in the Death Match that she would at least have died loving someone.

It was something that made her happy. But she was the only person in the house that was even mildly happy at the moment. At the sight of her sisters wide eyes, Katniss Everdeen was about to smash the television to bits. Her jaws were grinding together and she was making herself bleed. This was nothing that she wanted to be seeing. Having known Aspen since the pair were children she knew that this was nothing that the older girl had ever done. As far as Katniss knew, Aspen's first kiss had been with Cato back at the party that President Snow had thrown. Her blush increased tenfold when she saw Cato's tongue fit out of his mouth and heard Aspen let out a soft moan.

She watched out of the corner of her eyes as a smirk rose on Cato's mouth and Aspen bit down on his lower lip. Katniss whipped back to her mother but realized that she was fixated on the screen with almost a hypnotic look. As much as she hated to admit it, the whole thing looked like fun. She was shocked that Aspen was even doing something like this. While she usually was the one of the two to draw stared from boys in District 12, one remark or glare from Aspen would normally send them running back home. She was never one for flirting men. What was different about Cato?

On the other end of the couch Gale Hawthorne dug his short nails into the fabric of the couch. He was sure that he was ruining his nails and likely leaving some permanent damage to them but he didn't really care. The pain wasn't bothering him in the slightest. He had been slowly coming to terms with the fact that Aspen was in love with Cato Hadley but he had in no way been prepared for this. He would never be ready to see her with someone else. No matter how many weeks or months or years passed.

He hated the Tribute from District 2 but he knew that Aspen loved him and that was what mattered. As long as she was happy he would support her. But this was not something that he wanted to see. Cato's hands shot over Aspen's stomach and Gale felt his hands tear through the fabric as the Tribute's hands briefly laid on her chest. Gale tore his hands away from the couch, not wanting to make an even bigger mess and watched with horror as Cato's hands pulled at her zipper. He thought that Aspen would stop him but she only helped him shrug her out of the garment.

Reactions throughout the room were mixed. Gale felt his blood boil hotter than it ever had. He was trying to get over his feelings for Aspen and he thought that he was doing a rather good job, but maybe now it was a matter of controlling his anger. He certainly wasn't happy, no matter how close to the end they were. The Everdeen mother felt her body go weak at the sight of the younger kids. She missed days like that with her husband. It was one of the many things she missed about him. The blush on Katniss's face had spread to her neck and chest and he had to refrain from leaving the room.

That was still her best friend and even though she could strangle her right now, she had to stay and watch. Prim was drawn to both of the figures on screen. One she considered her sister and the other was a good looking boy from District 2. Without meaning to, her eyes dropped to his bare chest. Moving her head over to check on the other residents of the home, Katniss saw where her younger sister's eyes were. And that was not something that she would tolerate. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she shook her younger sister.

"Prim, cover your eyes. Now!" she yelled, when the younger girl ignored her.

Prim jumped and shut her eyes, not wanting to listen to the incessant rants of her older sister about how inappropriate that was. "Katniss, relax. We've seen worse," Prim said.

"I don't care," Katniss snapped.

"They're not doing anything that bad," Prim said.

The couch shifted slightly and Katniss looked to see that Gale was standing from his spot on the couch. "Gale wait, don't leave," she said.

He turned back to her with a nasty look on his face. "I'm leaving," Gale snapped.

She had known that he would be upset at the actions of Aspen. "Come on, just stay for a minute," Katniss begged, hoping that Aspen would come to her senses.

Had looks been able to kill, Katniss would have been dead at the glare that Gale was giving her. Although so would Aspen and Cato. And a whole other bunch of people too. "Why?" he hissed.

Katniss recoiled slightly. "Just in case," Katniss muttered.

He sighed and tried to calm himself slightly, if nothing else so that he wouldn't take out his anger on her. That wasn't fair. "Nothing will happen. The Capitol is loving it. I'm not. I don't want to watch Aspen do that. No thanks, Katniss. You know that I don't want to watch that," Gale snarled.

He stood there for a moment before turning to leave the room. Anger spiking through her veins, Katniss stood and set her dark glare on her best friend. She didn't care that Prim and her mother were watching. Gale turned back to look at her and raised his eyes at her angry stare. He shook his head and turned back to the door, stopping when he heard Katniss call out to him.

"Look, I know you care for her but this is ridiculous," Katniss snarled.

"It is not."

"You can't just leave the room because of that." He turned back to her. He was about to give her a biting reply but she beat him to it. "She lost Rue and whatever that was that she got clearly didn't help anything. She's weak and needs someone to be there for her. And that's him," Katniss said softly.

Gale let out his breath. He had felt for Aspen when she had been with Rue during her final moments. Most everyone in Panem had cried at the loss of the youngest Tribute and Aspen's reaction to it. Even Gale had let a tear out when he had seen how broken she was. When Cato had found her and taken care of her it had been the one time that Gale was thankful for him. Slowly Gale shook his head and turned to look at the television. Aspen was shirtless, laid on her back in the dirt with her hands at the button on Cato's pants and he let the anger once more boil in his veins.

"You honestly want to see that?" Gale asked.

"Of course not! But I'm not leaving."

"Whatever. I'm not staying to watch this. And you shouldn't let Prim watch it either," he said, nodding to the younger girl.

Sick of feeling like everyone was ignoring her and choosing her life for her, Prim rolled her eyes behind her lids. She knew that Gale and Katniss would fight until the day that they died. Prim was over their constant fighting and she wanted to put a stop to this now. She was sick of the fighting. There was enough on the television, she didn't need to hear it between two of the most important people in her life.

"That's why my eyes are closed," Prim announced with her arms crossed.

She couldn't see what was happening between the pair but she knew that they were both facing her now. "Prim -" Katniss started.

"Not that I don't know what they're doing. I'm twelve guys, not stupid. We all know what's going on out there," she said, under her breath.

"Prim!" Katniss shouted.

Not far from her she heard Katniss scoff and she couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face. She didn't really know exactly what was happening but she wanted to prod at her sister. That was what younger siblings were for. But Katniss was shocked. She had never heard Prim say anything like that before.

"They won't really keep the cameras on them will they?" Katniss asked her mother.

She had thought that they might have, but now she wasn't so sure. "They might or they might not," Ms. Everdeen said.

Katniss turned back to the television and raised her eyebrows when she saw that Cato was actually stopping Aspen. She saw that Gale had turned back to leave and she yelled after him. "Hey, Gale, wait! He's stopping her. He didn't let her go through with it. He stopped her. Does that make him any better?" Katniss snapped to her older friend.

Stopping short, Gale turned to the television to see if Katniss had been telling him the truth. It seemed like she was right. Cato was telling her that now wasn't the time, that she would regret it if she did it. He could tell that Aspen was shocked with her actions as she shook her head and smiled bashfully at Cato. He wanted to think that Cato had really done it out of genuine concern that she would be making a mistake, but he was still convinced that he was playing the Games. Gale shook his head and turned to look at Katniss.

"No. He only stopped her do that he could look like the hero," he said darkly.

Fury shot through her veins as Katniss stood back up from the couch and marched over to where Gale stood. He was watching her with a blank stare, not phased at all by his friend. "Really?" she asked.

"Of course."

"After all of this time you still don't think that he cares about her in the slightest? After everything that happened between the two of them you still don't think that he feels something for her?" she hissed.

It wasn't like Katniss approved of the boy from District 2 but she at least was sure that he had feelings for her. He would have killed her long ago if it had only been for his image. That or he wouldn't have cared so much about her when he had found her after Rue. Slowly Gale shook his head and walked up to his friend. Unlike Aspen, who only came up to his chest, Katniss stood at his chin. Of course, seven inches separated the two girls. For some reason Gale had come to the conclusion not long ago that Cato really did care for his best friend. But Gale still didn't think that Aspen had any business being with him.

"I know he does," he finally said softly to Katniss, who raised her eyebrows in surprise at his comment.

"So?" Katniss asked.

"But he's from District 2."

Katniss scoffed loudly. "And she's from District 12. If they can get over it so can you," Katniss snapped.

Gale ignored her and turned back to the television, cocking his head as he saw Aspen staring down at the body of a girl with bright red hair. "Is that the girl from District 5?" Gale asked.

"That's her," Katniss said.

"Finch right?" he asked.

Prim opened her eyes. "That's her," Prim said.

Katniss nodded and both she and Gale sat back down on the couch, the argument forgotten about for now. "She ate the Nightlock. I thought that she was good at all of the survival stuff," Gale muttered.

Katniss nodded at Gale slowly. She knew that Finch was really only good at identifying berries and plants. That was probably the only reason that she had even managed to get the 5 in training. That and the fact that she was fast. Aspen was the only one that really matched her for speed. But Finch had managed to prove herself very useful in the arena.

"She is. It's like Aspen just said. She did it so that she could have a quick and painless death. She didn't want to suffer through the slow death that she feared some of the remaining Tributes might give her," Katniss said.

"At least she went out without a brutal death," Prim muttered.

Katniss fixed her eyes on the screen and leaned forward as she watched the arena go dark. What the hell? Where had that come from? "What's happening? Why did the arena go dark?" Katniss asked.

"It's not nighttime," Prim said weakly.

"Gale, what are they doing?" Katniss asked her best friend.

Fear was slowly raising in Gale. His mouth had filled with bile as he realized what was happening. There were only five people left now and they were now a number of days past the two week point since the Games had begun. They wanted to end this now and that was what they were going to do.

"It's the Death Match," Gale muttered softly.

"No," Katniss whispered.

"It's almost over though," Prim said.

He watched the screen closely and felt his heart leap into his throat when he was what the Gamemakers were sending after the pair. It wasn't abnormal for Gamemakers to put mutts in the Death Match, but this was more than he had ever heard of. These things were something totally different.

"Look at what they're doing. They can't do that!" Gale yelled, slamming his hands onto the table in front of him.

He saw Prim jump to his left and he realized that she was shaking, tears rising in her eyes. "What are they doing?" Prim cried.

"It's okay, Prim. It's okay," Katniss consoled her sister.

These Games were about to become very real. "Katniss," Prim begged, even though she could do nothing to help.

"Prim, go to your room okay? You don't need to see what's about to happen," Gale told her softly.

His heart broke as he watched the first tear slip from her eyes. He knew that she felt so guilty about Aspen's predicament. Tears were steadily falling out of Prim's eyes as she watched the television set closely. Rain was pouring down on Aspen and Cato, who were standing back to back with their weapons raised, and the screen was now split onto the other Tributes. Thresh was holding his sword, ready for a fight. Coral was up in a tree, taking in what was happening, and Peeta was heading straight for the Cornucopia. Katniss stood and went to move Prim back into her room but the younger Everdeen ripped her arm away from her older sister.

"No, I'm not leaving!" Prim shouted.

"Please leave, Prim," Katniss begged.

"It's my fault that she's there so I want to see what happens!" Prim shrieked to Katniss, tears pouring down her face.

Katniss felt her heart slowly breaking at the look of desperation on her younger sister's face. She knew that Prim would do anything to get Aspen out of the arena but that wasn't an option. "Prim, this was not your fault okay? She knows that it wasn't your fault but she wouldn't want you to see this. Please go," she begged her younger sister.

But it didn't work. Prim was still sitting completely still. Katniss sighed and shook her head, turning back to watch the scene unfold on the screen. She was terrified enough watching the screen, she could only imagine how Aspen felt actually being there. She saw as a blue image of the mutts came onto the screen and she felt her stomach roil.

"What the hell are they sending in there?" Katniss asked.

"Mutts," Gale muttered.

"No one will survive this! They aren't going to have their damn Victor if they do that! Someone has to do something!" Katniss yelled to no one in particular.

But nothing could happen. No Sponsor gifts would help. Nothing would. The only thing that they could hope was that everyone managed to fight their way away from the mutts. That was the only way that anyone would be able to live. Gale walked over and grabbed Katniss's hand and Prim's as well, sitting between the two girls on the couch. The screen went silent as a golden muzzle was seen and the trees slowly parted for it, a low growl emitting from its chest.

"What is that?" Katniss barely managed to get out, as the silence of the arena was replaced with the sharp scream that came from Aspen.

In District 2...

The Hadley family sat in their living room along with Julie and Skye, all staring at the screen awkwardly. Their son, friend, and brother was doing something that none of them wanted to see. Like Aspen Antaeus, Cato had a family that didn't want to watch him acting like a hormonal teenager. They understood that both he and Aspen were weak from everything that had happened. Aspen had lost her friend and Cato was watching the girl he loved slipping through the cracks. He wanted to protect her and he didn't know how. There was no protecting people in the Games. It was only praying that they would make it out.

Twenty-three days after their family member had left to go into the Games, the Hadley family and their two friends were ready to see their boy again. Carrie sat in the large armchair, on top of Dean, who was cradling Marley gently. The young girl was babbling softly at the group but with a few shushes from her mother she fell silent. The chatter was normally appreciated, but today wasn't the right day. The family was getting tense after having not seen their son for so long. And they all knew that the Death Match would be approaching soon with only six Tributes left. No one wanted to mention the upcoming fight.

Like usual, Aidan sat underneath his older brother against the floor. He was mostly playing with his nails and scraping against them. He had already tried to focus on something else but it really wasn't working. He was trying to watch the television but it was disgusting. He loved Cato and thought that Aspen was actually pretty, for a District 12 girl at least. But he didn't want to watch his brother do adult things with her. He made a small noise of disgust and Dean laughed softly. The entire family chuckled softly. The momentary lightness was appreciated.

While Dean didn't blame his younger brother for the way that he was acting with the girl he had to wonder if Cato could have waited a little while. He couldn't deny it though, Aspen was a very pretty girl, and she clearly had the wit and temper to keep up with Cato. Carrie lightly poked at Aidan with her foot and the younger boy swatted it away. She couldn't help but to sigh at the sight of her brother-in-law and the girl from District 12. She missed her late night kisses with her husband. Since the Games had started he hadn't really felt right being intimate with her. She couldn't blame him.

The rest of the family sat in minor discomfort as they watched the pair on the screen increase in intimacy. She had been completely shirtless in front of him before but it had been because of a life-threatening injury. Not for pleasure. And she had barked at him to stop looking at her. Now was different. Julie and Skye both felt their faces flare and tempers roll slightly. Skye curled her fists and sighed deeply. She loved Cato and thought that Aspen was a good person for him to be with. Although she wasn't fond that she had just helped kill Clove. It was the one moment that had made the entire family briefly despise her.

Cato and Aspen seemed to complement each other well and Skye could see that he loved her more than anything else. The looks that he gave her were ones that Skye had never gotten from him. She was glad to see that he had found someone to love but it still left a little burn that it hadn't been her. But as long as she was always in his life and he was happy, that was all that mattered to her. But that didn't mean that she wanted to see him hook up with Aspen. She had heard enough of his conquests back when they trained at the Academy together and that had been odd enough.

She smirked when she wondered how those girls felt now. Probably completely used. They had been. Aspen was the only one that he had ever loved. Like her friend, Julie felt herself shift uncomfortably as she watched Cato and Aspen stay locked together. She kept hoping that they would come back to themselves but they wouldn't. Not for a while, it seemed. Julie loved her best friend but even she had to admit that he was terrible about controlling himself. Granted Aspen had started their little bonding session, but he had done nothing to stop her.

While she pitied herself for not winning over Cato's heart she pitied his family more. They didn't want to watch their son do something that was meant for only married couples but she also knew that they didn't want to risk missing anything if they got up and walked away from the screen. She sighed, a part of her wishing that it was her on top of him, the other part hoping that he would get to leave the arena with her. Julie wasn't sure exactly how she felt about Aspen but she wanted Cato to be happy. And he wouldn't be happy without her. She pulled her hands through her blonde hair nervously and shook her head.

The Games were normally broadcasted no matter what was happening on screen but Carrie couldn't help but to hope that the screen would cut away from the pair. Although worse things had been shown on screen. Bloody deaths, rapes, and much worse. The whole thing just felt wrong to her. She knew that what they were going through was something that was only to be done in private. Sure, Cato wouldn't care but she figured that the moment that Aspen realized what was happening she would be mortified. And she couldn't blame the girl.

"We shouldn't be watching this," Carrie finally said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.

"We can't really leave," Dean said.

"It just... it seems private. I know that they're on national television, but still," Carrie said.

"I don't think they realize it," Aidan said, snorting.

It resulted in a good kick from Dean. "Let's give them some sense of privacy. They wouldn't want us to see this," Carrie said softly.

The matriarch of the Hadley family looked over at her daughter-in-law with a gentle smile. She loved Carrie more than she ever thought that she would. She was like herself. Not much of a District 2 girl. That was what the girls had bonded over at first. Alana sighed and shook her head. She was no fool. Cato was not always very careful about his comings and goings at night. She couldn't even count the number of times that she had pretended not to hear the front door closing in the middle of the night.

She knew that her son was one to have plenty of female suitors but she never wanted to know what he did with them. That was why she had ignored the sound of the door closing and had never questioned where he went in the late hours of the evening. She had always told him that as long as he was safe with them she would leave him be. But now he was dangling his private life for the world to see and Alana was extremely uncomfortable. No mother wanted to hear or see her son do things like that. It wasn't appropriate.

"I would love nothing more than to change this but we can't," Alana said.

"I know... But -" Carried started.

"I don't want to watch my son do something like that but I'm not willing to risk something happening," Carrie told her daughter-in-law, giving her an apologetic look.

Shifting again at the uncomfortable topic, Julie accidentally kicked Skye. The other girl looked at her with the tilt of her head and Julie shook her head quickly. No one wanted to talk. Skye knew that her friend was extremely uncomfortable at the screen. She had always been the one of the two that had been more determined to win over Cato. She could only imagine how she felt, looking at her best friend with some new girl on the screen.

"How do we even know that something is going to happen?" Julie asked.

Every eye in the room turned to her. "Are you kidding?" Skye asked shortly.

"They're just kissing. I've known Cato since we were kids. This isn't the first girl that he's ever kissed. He won't go farther than that. He's smart," Julie said softly, not really believing her own words.

Cato wasn't the type to think physical relations through. Next to her, Julie heard Skye snort and she turned to look at her friend. Skye glanced over at the television and sighed when she realized that the pair were tugging at each other's lips roughly, both wearing small smiles. It was the happiest that Julie had seen Cato in the Games. She scoffed and turned away from the screen looking at her friend. It wasn't the first time she had ever seen Cato kiss someone but she didn't want to see it.

"Have you ever seen him act like that with someone?" Skye asked Julie, turning back to her. The other girl sat in silence and dropped her head, a small glare settling over her features. "Yeah, me either."

Being Cato's only older sibling, Dean had always been the one to defend him. Even now, when Cato was off in the Hunger Games, Dean still felt the need to defend his brother. He always would. Until the day that one of them died. He knew that his brother wasn't exactly innocent when it came to his relationships - and neither had he been - but that didn't mean that everyone should be discussing it. His physical relationship with Aspen wasn't what they should all be focused on.

"The boy is almost nineteen. She is nineteen," Dean said.

"Doesn't make a difference," Julie snapped.

"By the time I was nineteen, Marley had been born," Dean said.

He felt Carrie stiffen on top of him. He felt bad for dragging her into it but he had to say something. "Dean," Carrie warned.

"Look I know you guys don't want to see him do something like that but you have to know that this wouldn't exactly be his first time," Dean continued anyways. "I don't know about her, but I would assume that it is her first time."

She knew that her son was only guessing about whether or not Aspen really knew what she was doing with Cato. But Alana knew for sure that Aspen had never done it before. It was obvious enough by the way that she had reacted during the first few times that she had spoken with Cato. Alana had no qualms about the girl, but no mother ever wanted to know that their son is doing that with some girl.

"Dean, I do not think I need to hear about yours or Cato's private life," Alana said.

Dean blushed softly. "Sorry," he muttered.

"I love you boys but that doesn't mean that I want to know what's happening behind closed doors," Alana told her son, who dropped his head.

Once more Skye turned to the television and she shook her head as Cato was testing the waters with Aspen. He would lightly brush his hands over her chest, seeing if she was going to push him away from her. Smart boy. She knew Aspen well enough to know that she would stick an arrow through his throat if he dared to go too far too fast.

"Dean is right, though. It isn't his first time," Julie said out loud.

She immediately noticed all of the sideways looks that were sent to both her and Julie. "Well done," Skye muttered.

Julie's stomach leaped into her throat and she shook her head. "I mean, Cato never touched Julie or I like that, but I've heard the stories. He was never really as train and sleep only as he made you all think," she said, making small mutters shoot across the room.

Everyone awkwardly looked away from each other. For as long as he could remember, Aidan had always followed everything that Cato had done. He was training to go into the Games, he was training with a sword, and he even looked like Cato. They shared mannerisms and even dressed the same. His parents always thought that the way that Aidan followed everything that his older brother had been adorable. But they had hated the fact that Aidan also had learned Cato's sense of humor. Particularly when it came to women.

"He's been getting a different type of work out," Aidan snickered from the floor.

Standing from her seat on the couch with her husband, Alana walked over to Aidan and grabbed him by the shoulder. He looked up at his mother with fear in his eyes, hoping that she would let his comment slip. "Aidan! You are not old enough to be saying things like that. When these Games are over you are not leaving that room of yours for a week. That was not a nice thing that you just said," she hissed at her son, who slowly sunk back to his seat on the floor.

"Is a week really -?" Aidan stopped speaking when he saw the glare that his mother was sending him.

"And all of you, stop it!" Alana roared, to the shock of the rest of her family.

Alana was normally very level headed but she was still a District 2 girl. She could still be scary beyond belief when she wanted to be. "Darling..." Damien trailed off when he saw that she was even sending him the same glare.

"What do you think that Aspen would be thinking if she heard all of what you were saying right now?" Alana asked, watching as all eyes in the room dropped.

"Who cares?" Julie scoffed.

"Shut up," Skye snapped.

Carrie shifted to look at her mother-in-law who nodded at her. She sighed and pushed Dean to the side lightly so that she could see everyone. "She's right. Poor Aspen would be mortified if she could hear what you were all saying right now," Carrie said.

"But she does know that the cameras are there," Dean said.

"So what? She's miserable. She's just trying to be happy. Think about everything that she's been through recently. She saved her best friend's little sister and was put into these Games without even wanting to. She lost her parents to these Games for crying out loud!" Carrie yelled, watching as a glassy look filled Skye's eyes.

She knew that the girl had lost her brother to the Games and her sister was a Victor, but she may as well have lost her too. "Carrie is right," Skye muttered.

"I know that Cato isn't innocent. He's been messing with her since day one. She thinks that Rue was her fault and now she doesn't know what to do. She just wants this to all be over. I can't blame her," Carrie finished softly.

Julie sighed and moved so that she was leaning off of the edge of the couch. She looked up to the television and shook her head when she saw that Aspen was now a jacket short. As much as Julie wanted to hate the girl, she didn't think that she could. She really didn't have much of a good reason to hate her. Aspen was a good girl and she had never done anything to make Julie not trust her. If anything, she had Aspen to thank. She saved him from eating the Nightlock.

"I hate to admit it but Aspen seems like a good person," Julie said.

"Really?" Skye asked, surprised.

"Yes. I don't doubt that she'll be the girl to make it out. In a few days you'll all get to talk to her and make a final judgement then. But I call it now. Something is going to change with her. I mean, have you ever seen one Tribute get so much attention? They bent the rules for her," Julie said, tilting her head to the side.

All day Damien had been silent, only once trying to speak to Alana, mostly not wanting to get involved in the fight. But what Julie had just said was true. Everything that she had said was true. Particularly the rule change. Everything was going to change after this year. For some reason Aspen had affected these Games in a way that no one had before.

"You're right, Julie," Damien said, watching everyone turn their heads to look at him. "Things won't be the same after these Games. If they let two people win this year then they'll have to start letting two people win every year. District 11 was in an uprising over Rue and what Aspen did for her. Thresh spared her because of what she did for the little girl. Seneca Crane clearly favors her. And it seems like President Snow has taken quite the liking to her. If she wins then she has something big coming to her. We all do."

It seemed like a dark shadow was cast over the room from the patriarch's words. They all knew that he was right. Nothing was good. These Games were going to be huge. Two people weren't allowed to win the Games. Something was going to happen. This wasn't going to go without severe repercussions. Skye turned her head to the television set and let her eyes widen when she realized that Cato had stopped the actions. Aspen was currently pulling her shirt on, looking somewhat grateful that he had stopped her.

"Well on a slightly lighter note it looks like your son has some dignity after all. He stopped her," Skye said.

"Good," Julie muttered.

Alana looked very relieved. "Why would he do that? I mean, don't boys like never want to stop it even if they know it's a bad idea?" Skye asked, feeling slightly foolish.

All eyes shot to the screen and Dean gauged the reactions. Skye and Julie both looked slightly relieved, along with Alana and Carrie. Although Carrie looked a little sad at what had just happened. His brother Aidan looked like he could care less about the whole thing and his father shook his head. Aidan just wanted it to be over with. Marley was just staring at the screen blankly and Leah had been pulled into his mother's chest, forcing her to keep her eyes off of the screen.

"Wow, thanks, Skye," Dean scoffed.

The younger girl looked over to him. "What?" she asked.

"For making every guy in Panem look like a dog. You know, I've found that in my time when I was dating girls and even Carrie that most girls actually are the ones to -" Dean said, before being cut off.

Carrie knew exactly where her husband was going with the story and it wasn't one that she wanted to let her family hear. Especially when her daughter and Leah were in the room. She slapped Dean over the head, much to the amusement of everyone else in the room.

"Stop there if you don't want to sleep outside tonight," she hissed at Dean.

Laughs were exchanged all over the room as the tense air faded. "Sorry," Dean muttered.

She glanced back up to the screen and saw that Aspen and Cato had stumbled upon a body. Aspen was looking at the girl on the ground with pity and Cato was standing behind her. "That's the girl from District 5. Finch or something like that. What killed her?" Carrie asked.

There were no bloody wounds and the last that Carrie had seen, she had water and food at her disposal. At her words, Damien leaned forward and looked at the small berry that was right off to the side of where Finch was lying. He sighed when he realized what it was. The same thing that Cato had nearly died from.

"Nightlock. The same plant that Cato nearly ate yesterday," Damien announced to his family. "None of you can say that she doesn't care for him. It would have been easy for her to let him eat them, but she didn't."

Everyone in the room nodded. "Everyone knows that they really do love each other," Carrie said.

She really did care for him. Damien had thought that Aspen might kill his son when she saw what he had almost eaten. "Finch took her own life. Made it look like an accident," Damien clarified the situation.

Since Cato had gone into the Games, Aidan had made it his goal to follow in his brother's footsteps. So he had been determined to analyze every little thing that any of the Tributes did this entire Games. Everything made sense to him that they had done, except for this.

"Why would she do something like that?" Aidan asked his father, who was staring darkly at the screen.

"No one ever listens," Alana sighed.

Damien almost grinned. Looking back over to his son he sighed deeply. Damien had once wanted to go into these Games but now he was glad he hadn't. He couldn't even imagine what these kids were going through. What kind of nightmares they would bring back with them. He finally sighed and looked back over to his youngest son.

"Why else? Just like Aspen said. It's a quick and painless death. Finch knew that she wasn't going to win so she took her own life. Made it fast and relatively painless," he answered the young boy.

As everyone was staring at Damien Hadley, Julie turned her gaze back to the television set. Cato and Aspen were both staring down at the body of the girl from District 5. Just as she was about to look away she saw that the arena went dark, and both Aspen and Cato were whirling around. Clearly they were trying to figure out what had happened. Julie took a quick glance at the clock. It wasn't late enough for the sun to go down. What was happening?

"Hey, why did the sun go down?" Julie asked.

Every head in the room whipped back to the screen. "What happened?" Aidan asked.

"It's only one in the afternoon. They still have at least five hours before the sun should even start to go down. Are they trying to get them confused?" Julie asked.

Feeling fear and bile build in her throat, Skye leaned forward to watch the screen. She knew what was coming. They had been trained in the Academy to recognize it. The ground was beginning to shake slightly as the new mutts were headed into the arena. She nearly vomited at the sight of them. She knew what one of the mutts were but the other two were foreign to her. The blueprints of the mutts came up on the screen and Skye knew that her face had gone completely white.

"No, look at that. Have you ever seen a mutt like that?" Skye asked.

Everyone in the room shook their heads. "Oh..." Alana whispered.

"What is that thing? What the hell are they putting in the arena with them?" Skye asked frantically.

While she had really only cared for Cato throughout the Games, now she feared for Aspen as well. Hell, she feared for everyone. Hugging her daughter tighter to her, Carrie grabbed her husband's hand with her free one and let tears fill in her eyes. Dean noticed and left a small kiss on his wife's forehead.

"Look at that thing!" Carrie yelled, as the first of the mutts was revealed in its fullest.

"It would be hard to miss," Damien said.

"If they put something like that in it will kill every last one of them. No one has ever seen something like that before. What if it kills them? They're sending it right after Cato and Aspen!" Carrie cried.

It didn't take her long to realize where the worst of the mutts was headed. Trying to comfort his wife, Dean went to move her head away from the screen but her eyes went right back. She wouldn't want to see it, but at the same time she wanted to know what was going to happen. She didn't want to miss a moment of the Games and he didn't blame her.

"There's no way they'd actually do something like that, right?" Dean asked.

"No. They will," Damien muttered.

"They're not just sending in one mutt... they're sending in three," Dean said sickly. The unfamiliar mutt apparently had friends. "And that's the ones that they've only done right now."

Alana leaned forward in her seat as she watched the screen split into four different sections. She felt her hands shaking. She had been so confident that he would be coming back. But now it looked like no one would be walking out of the arena. She glanced closely at the screens. One with Peeta, one with Thresh, one with Coral, and then the last one had both Cato and Aspen. She watched as her son went back to back with her Aspen and the pair watched the moving trees closely.

"Don't lose hope yet. Remember when we all thought that the wolf mutt would kill Aspen?" Alana asked.

"This is different," Dean muttered.

"It's not. It didn't, she beat it. And they sent it to kill her. With the two of them together they can stop it. The Capitol wants them to live. They want to see them beat it. This is the Death Match. We all knew that it wouldn't be easy," Alana said softly.

No one looked at her. No one was daring to move their eyes away from the screen for a moment. Damien shifted forward in his chair and looked at the mutt as it made its way through the woods. It was getting close to where Cato and Aspen were. The rain was soaking the fur on it and he could tell that everyone in the arena was soaked to the bone. He thought back to his time at the Academy and felt his heart jump. He knew exactly what this thing was. He had learned about it when he was younger.

"I know what it is. That's not a mutt," Damien said softly.

He barely turned away from the mutt for a moment. Instead he wanted to watch the pair stand facing the woods, waiting for the Games to really begin. They would be fine... They had to be. The last thing that he heard before the arena went to hell and the fight began was the piercing scream that came from Aspen.

In The Arena...

The low growling was coming from all over and I felt my body stiffen. Cato was right. This was the Death Match. There were now only five of us left and we were in the seventeenth day. Or something like that. The Gamemakers were ready to end this thing at any costs. I saw some of the trees part ways and I raised my bow, an arrow already nocked. I was shaking like mad and I could feel even Cato shaking a little bit behind me. I heard what sounded like a tree toppling over and I turned back to Cato. He was gone from my back and I could see him fighting something black off.

With the rain pouring into my eyes and the arena as dark as it was I could hardly see. Taking in a deep breath I went to walk up to Cato to help but right as I did I heard an earth shattering roar behind me. I turned back with my bow raised and fired blindly. Judging from the load roar I assumed that I had hit the mutt, but I definitely hadn't killed it. It was so dark that it was impossible to see. The thing reared up and swiped a huge paw out. Just like the wolf mutt had. I tried to dart back but it was faster than me. Swinging its paw down it knocked me off balance, shredding its claws across my forehead.

Just where Clove's knife had yesterday. I let out a piercing scream at the sudden pain and I felt tears well up in my eyes. The animal dropped down over me and I stared at it. It was huge and was towering over me. It had a pretty golden fur on it and bright gold eyes. Long fangs stuck out of its mouth and a furry mane shot out from around its neck. My eyes widened as I realized what the animal was. I had heard of it before. It had lived before the uprising on a continent called Africa. It was a lion. The King of the Jungle. A man eater.

I brought my hand up to my forehead and squeaked lowly as I realized that skin was hanging freely off of my temple. It was much worse than the injury that Clove had given me yesterday. The lion roared at me again and brought its mouth down to me. Without thinking I jumped backwards as far as I could in the mud and felt its jaws clamp around my shin. I screamed loudly at the pain that radiated through me. It was horrible. Bringing up my bow I slammed it down onto the head of the mutt and it looked up at me with a growl. I slammed my foot into its head, even though I knew that it would do nothing.

But I was too panicked to grab an arrow. The lion reared back and came to thrash out at me again. But before it landed I rolled to the side, coughing as I rolled into the mud that the rain had created. My heart was thumping out of my chest as I watched the animal run back to me. I slipped through the mud and water running as fast as I could. I turned back and blindly fired an arrow. It let out a high-pitched shriek and I imagined that I might have hit it in the leg or paw. Not a kill shot. Right when I had gotten into a smaller area of the clearing I ducked down, narrowly avoiding the claws of the lion.

Slowly I slipped from behind the trees and screamed when I ran headfirst into something. I raised my bow but realized that it was only Cato. He stared nervously at my forehead and I shook my head at him. We had bigger problems to worry about. Like the fact that the lion mutt still wasn't far from us. And I couldn't keep firing arrows. I would run out and it was too hard to keep collecting them. I heard it growling but I couldn't see it. We were hidden under a tree, both of us trying to steady our fast breathing. I was afraid that my heart was pumping so loudly that the mutt could hear it.

Cato tapped on my shoulder to get me to move and I nodded at him. He slowly pushed me out of the tree and I gasped as I realized that the lion mutt had completely torn apart the clearing. Trees were toppled everywhere and mud was thrown up everywhere. Grabbing onto Cato's shoulder, I pulled him from the tree. We stepped out into the open and right when I thought that the coast was clear the mutt came dashing back into the clearing. I gasped and was pushed ahead by Cato.

"Run!" he yelled.

I started off immediately, concerned with keeping myself alive. My head was throbbing and I was hardly able to keep my balance with the slick ground. Water was splashing everywhere and I could hardly see as water and blood came pouring into my eyes. Everything was burning. I hadn't gotten over my injuries yesterday. My vision was going blurry at the blood loss but I forced myself to get over it. All I had to do was get rid of Coral. Then I got to go home. Prim. Katniss. Gale. Cato grabbed me and steadied me as I tripped over a root and he glanced over at me, his eyes widening when he saw how bad the wound was.

"Are you alright?" Cato asked.

I wasn't but he needed to think that I was. "I'm fine. They'll fix me up. I'm fine," I insisted.

"Aspen, we need to split up," he said.

I widened my eyes. "No! No, Cato. We can -"

He cut me off. "It can only follow one of us. You go left, I'll go right. Run to the Cornucopia. I will meet you there," he said.

"Cato -"

"I will meet you there. Go."

"Okay."

I didn't want to split up with him but he was right. It was our only chance. "Be careful," he said, before splitting to the right at a tree.

Sprinting off to the left I thought that the lion mutt would follow me but I heard Cato yelling to attract the mutt. It made me sick. He was going to sacrifice himself so that I could get away. All I could hope was that he would be fast enough so that we would meet up at the Cornucopia. I hadn't made it this far for Cato to die right now. Not with barely an hour left in the Games. They were almost over. I knew it. The lion roared and I heard the roars get softer as Cato drew it off of my tail.

He'll be fine. He's going to live. I wanted to stop and burst into tears but I knew that I couldn't do that. It wouldn't have done anything. I had to keep pushing. Just a little while longer. I could feel the lose skin on my forehead dragging down and the pain as the rain entered the wound was searing, but I had to keep going. You made it this far. Don't give up. We weren't far from the Cornucopia. We were only about a two minute dead sprint. And I was going even faster than that. Cato was smart to go there. We could get on top of the structure, away from the mutts. As of now, the Tributes weren't the threat, the mutts were.

Dashing around a tree I was met with a huge mutt. I gasped and stumbled back. I should have known that they would send another one after me. I looked up at the animal. It wasn't another lion. It was something that I had seen before. They would pop up in the woods in District 12 from time to time. It was a bear. Just like the one that had once attacked Katniss and me. I almost laughed. I would have if it was a little less terrifying. They probably heard me up on the Capitol rooftop. This was their idea of a cruel joke.

The Girl on Fire and now the bear. Someone had a very good sense of humor. Although I wasn't fond of seeing the bear again. This one was enormous. It stood at probably about nine feet tall and it walked like it was stalking its prey. The black fur was raised and its claws were like sharp blades. Its eyes were a startling white and it snarled as it walked up to me. I thought that it might stalk me the same way that the wolf mutt had almost two weeks ago and I waited for it, hoping that I would be able to outrun the beast.

But it was not like the wolf mutt. The bear immediately launched itself at me and I screamed loudly as it chased after me. I turned back and fired an arrow. It was a direct hit but it didn't affect the bear. It roared at me but my arrow - sticking out of it's chest - was useless. Of course it was. My only chance now was to outrun it. So I tucked tail and ran for my life. Being so large it caught up to me quickly. Without warning it pounced onto me, its claws piercing through my back and pressing me down into the mud.

Rain was pouring down around me and I screamed as it pressed its weight down on me. The razor sharp claws tore through my shirt and skin, piercing the skin of my back. Just like the wolf mutt. My spine was cracking painfully and I knew that if I didn't get out of here soon it would break my back. And that would be game over for me. Grabbing a knife from my sheath I shoved it back into the bears paw. It roared loudly and I screamed when it tore its claws out of my back. It ripped skin clean off of my back and I felt it tug on a rib. I screamed loudly but forced myself to get up. I was going to live.

All of my pain thus far had not been for nothing. I was getting out of this fucking place. I turned back and fired another arrow but it barely clipped the side of the bear. I was disoriented and not much of a shot right now. Don't waste the arrows. Awkwardly I stood up and realized that I needed to get out of here and fast. Water was flooding up to my ankles now and I knew that the Gamemakers were trying to push the Tributes into the Cornucopia. They wanted everyone together. They wanted a fight and a brutal one. They wanted to injure us first.

After slipping twice I moved to the side and went to head back to the Cornucopia when the bear came running at me. I tried to grab another arrow but I was too slow. The bear pressed me into the tree in front of me harshly and I gasped as it broke the arrow that I was holding. The bear slammed me into the tree and I hissed in pain as my ribs dug into the tree. The mutt roared in my ear and I was glad that I was still partially deaf. The bear was breathing heavily against my neck and no matter how much I struggled, it wasn't releasing me.

It finally pulled its head away from my neck and I took a deep breath in, but I should have known that it wasn't over. No. The worst thing that could have happened suddenly happened. The saliva slopped down over my shoulder and I knew what was going to happen. But I wasn't able to stop it in time. The bear clamped its jaws over my shoulder and I felt its teeth rip into me. I screamed a deafening scream as the animal pulled away from me, tearing my skin away with it. I let out a pathetic cry as I saw the skin that had once covered my shoulder now hung from its mouth.

It wasn't just going to attack me. It was going to eat me alive. But it wasn't. I was not going to let this thing eat me. I was going to be back in District 12 in a matter of days. I pushed myself up from the ground and cried out at the searing pain as the rain pelted against my shoulder. The bear was chewing on my skin and while it was distracted, I pulled another arrow out. I nocked it and slowly pulled the arrow back, not wanting to alert it. Releasing the arrow, it soared into the bear's chest and I heard the loud roar come from it.

Unfortunately that arrow did no more than the first one. Did it even have a heart? The thing looked up to me and I could have sworn that I saw the anger flash through its eyes. It clumsily followed me as I tore off back to the Cornucopia and I screamed as branches cut through the wounds that were all over me by now. I heard more deep growling coming from back behind me and I cried out softly. The damned thing wasn't going to let me live through our fight. But imagining the cheering back in District 12 for me to live - particularly from Prim - kept me running.

It didn't stop the momentary doubt. I hadn't even gotten into a fight with a Tribute yet and I was already on death's door. The bear was running behind me and I felt the ground rattling as it ran. I finally darted through the opening in the trees and let out a loud whoop when I saw the metallic structure of the Cornucopia. No one was there yet. I feared for Cato's safety for a moment but I knew that he was alright. I hadn't heard a cannon yet. I ran forward and hit the Cornucopia but I realized with fear in my heart that I wasn't tall enough to get up onto the structure. And I only had two arrows left. I had to save them.

Eyes locked onto me, I felt my hands shake as the bear ran up to me. I had a plan but I had no idea if it would work. And if it didn't I was as good as dead. I stood completely still, letting the bear run up to me. Tears were filling in my eyes again but I pushed them back. Be strong, you can win this. You can go home. Prim. Katniss. Gale. The bear opened its jaws to tear into me and just when it was a stride away from me, I screamed and moved to the side. The bear hit the Cornucopia with its jaws open and the heavy impact broke the jaws apart. The bear lay on the ground, nearly dead, and I shakily walked up to it.

There was still some of my skin in its mouth and I cried as I pulled my only knife out of my pants. Somehow I was still alive. Somehow my very stupid plan had walked. But it wasn't over yet. There was likely another mutt out there somewhere that was planning to come after me. I limped over the bear and cried out as it tried to get up and climb over to me. But it was too late. It only cried in agony. It was a kill of mercy. It couldn't control what it was doing and I didn't want to see it in pain. I raised my knife and sunk it into the bear's heart, effectively killing it.

There was still no cannon. No one else had been killed by an of the mutts yet. I let out a few deep breaths as I walked back to the Cornucopia. I stood on the back of the bear and cried out whenever I felt the thing move. It was just me shifting it. The thing was dead. I had to keep telling myself that. I grabbed the top of the Cornucopia and shrieked loudly as I pulled myself up. It was so slick from rain that it was almost impossible to get up. But finally I threw my leg up and over and managed to lift myself off of the bear.

Flopping onto the metal surface of the Cornucopia I let out a few shaky breaths and managed to keep my tears at bay. They weren't going to let me live if they thought that I was being weak. They would only send more after me. So I forced myself to keep going. It would only be so long before they would send another attack after me. I could hardly stand and I could only imagine what it would be like if I ended up having to face off against everyone. My head was pounding roughly and my body was bleeding all over. My eyes were fading in and out and I couldn't help but to lay at the edge of the Cornucopia.

Just ten seconds. That was all that I allowed myself to rest. Just so that I would be ready for the next fight. I lifted my head slightly to see if anyone was coming and I screamed loudly as a huge mutt came bouncing against the edge of the Cornucopia. It knocked me back and I yelled as its claws hit me in the cheek. I stood shakily and watched as two of the huge mutts bounced off of the edge of the structure, clearly fed up that they couldn't reach me.

I stood and backed away from the mutts. They looked like large dogs and were maybe six feet tall. They were some of the smallest of the mutts that I had ever seen but they looked no less deadly. In fact I was sure that there was something even more deadly about the pack of mutts because they were small. There was something in them that was horrible. But I couldn't quite tell what it was that made them so dangerous. I was surprised that they all looked similar but completely different.

Normally mutts all looked exactly the same. The Capitol didn't want to bother giving them their own personalities and looks. They were just carbon copies. But these mutt looked like they were actually designed to look different from the others. The one that was on my left was short, about half of a foot shorter than the others. It had dark brown fur, almost completely black and dark brown eyes. The other one was larger and had a reddish auburn colored fur. It had bright green eyes and looked at me with a look of pure hatred. They both did. They all did.

Unfortunately more were coming. I wasn't getting out of this easily. The mutts were beginning to assemble. As they joined together, they raised up again to stand easily on their back legs giving them an eerily human quality. It also put them almost where I was standing. Each had a thick coat, some with fur that was straight and sleek, others curly, and the colors varied from jet black to what I could only describe as blonde. Just like mine. There was still something else about them, something that made the hair rise up on the back of my neck, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

It was driving me nuts. There was something about these mutts. I reached back and got another arrow. I was almost out but I had to be careful with these. They looked like they might have been able to get up here with me. They put their snouts on the horn, sniffing and tasting the metal, scraping their paws over the surface and then made high-pitched yipping sounds to one another. That must have been how they communicated because the pack backed up as if to make room. Then one of them, a good-size mutt with silky waves of blonde fur, took a running start and leaped onto the horn.

A gasp escaped my mouth. Its back legs must have been incredibly powerful because it landed a mere ten feet below me, its pink lips pulled back in a snarl. For a moment it hung there, and in that moment I realized what else unsettled me about the mutts. The green eyes glowering at me were unlike any dog or wolf, any canine that I had ever seen. They were unmistakably human. And that revelation had barely registered when I noticed the collar with the number one inlaid with jewels and the whole horrible thing hit me. The blonde hair, the green eyes, the number... it was Glimmer.

A shriek escaped my lips and I started to have trouble holding the arrow in place. I had been waiting to fire, only too aware of my dwindling supply of arrows. Waiting to see if the creatures could, in fact, climb. And it seemed that they could. But now, even though the mutt had begun to slide backward, unable to find any purchase on the metal, even though I could hear the slow screeching of the claws like nails on a blackboard, I fired into its throat. Its body twitched and flops onto the ground with a thud.

They were all looking at me like they hated me. I noticed something glinting off of the red ones neck and I leaned down. It was a small tag with the number five engraved in it. I glanced over at the brown furred one to see if it had the same tag on it. It had an eleven engraved into that collar. Then it was their eyes that caught my attention again. Were those their actual eyes? My hands clasped over my mouth. I had seen them before. That chocolate brown, sweet and innocent. And the bright green eyes, observational and mocking. What the hell had these monsters in the Capitol done?

"Rue. Finch. What did they do to you?" I breathed out, goosebumps rising on my arms.

What the hell had they done to these poor girls? It was just a second later that a smaller and burly one walked forward. It was obviously Clove and it looked pissed. I raised a knife to the mutts but sighed as I dropped it, letting the blade clatter to the top of the structure. I couldn't do it. It was no use. They couldn't climb and they were actually keeping me protected from other Tributes. And all of them... They had been people. Some of them had been my friends. I dropped to my knees and sighed deeply.

This had to be over soon. It had to be. I heard grass rustling behind me and I turned back quickly. I reached back for an arrow and aimed. If it was one of the bigger mutts or Coral I would have to fight. But a smile crossed my face as I saw who it was. My own District partner who I hadn't seen since I had dropped the Tracker Jacker nest on the Careers. I sheathed the arrow as Peeta limped weakly towards the Cornucopia. I couldn't help but smile. I had thought that he would be dead with the mutts running around.

"Peeta!" I yelled.

He ran straight to me on the side without the mutts. "Aspen!" Peeta shouted.

I let my arm hang down and I grunted as he caught my arm. He grabbed onto me and I weakly pulled him up. Once he was on top of the Cornucopia I fell back and screamed when he fell on me. He babbled an apology and got off of me, helping me stand.

"I thought you were dead. You had an infection. What happened?" I asked, pulling him into me for a hug.

He laughed and made a point to avoid my shoulder and lower back. Besides being dirty and limping weakly, Peeta appeared to be relatively healthy. "Sponsors. None as good as you or Cato have but a few people wanted me to live. I wanted to go to the feast but I wasn't strong enough. The medicine isn't that great but it kept the infection at bay for me to get out here," Peeta said.

"Haymitch helped you then too," I said.

"He likes you more," Peeta said.

"I doubt that."

"Are you alright?" Peeta asked.

I smiled at him. He was the type to make sure that I was okay before he was. "I'll live," I said.

He smiled as we leaned back into each other again. He might have sort-of betrayed me before but I knew that he had really been my friend this entire time. He had been protecting me from the beginning. I had my hand halfway down his back and I smiled at him as I buried my face in his shoulder. It was good to be back with him. Even if it was just for a second. All of a sudden I felt a searing pain in my arm and I shouted loudly in Peeta's ear. I knew that it had probably hurt him but he fell before I could gauge a reaction.

As he fell I felt my arm twist pain fully under his weight. I cried out loudly and hissed in pain as Peeta's weight pulled down on my arm. I flipped him over with my spare hand and realized that we were attached by a knife. It had been thrown through my arm and was embedded in Peeta's back. Right where his lungs were. I panicked as I saw the blood pouring out of my arm and his back. He had been hit in a vital spot and I couldn't afford to lose much more blood. Taking in a deep breath I ripped the knife out of my arm and screamed when it ran against the bone roughly.

"Peeta, Peeta, look at me. Look at me!" I cried.

Flipping Peeta over I saw that blood was rushing out of his mouth and I began to cry. He had internal bleeding and I knew that he wouldn't last much longer. No. Not like this. Why couldn't it have been painless? This was horrible. He was coughing roughly and I could tell that he was having a hard time breathing. His lungs were more than likely filling with blood. He would be dead in less than a minute and there was nothing that he could do.

"Peeta. Look at me," I begged, as he titled his head back slightly. His eyes were just barely open and he was smiling at me.

"It's alright, Aspen."

"You're okay," I breathed out, repeating what I had said to Rue before she had died.

Peeta laid his hand on my face and he smiled brightly at me. A tear slipped out and landed on Peeta's face. I saw that his teeth were coated in thick blood and I had to stop from vomiting right there. I would be strong for him, until the end. He deserved that much.

"I'm sorry, Peeta," I said, forcing the tears back.

"It's okay. Aspen, look at me." I glanced up at him with a sad smile. I would try to be brave for him. "You will win this. Please win it for me," Peeta said.

"Of course."

"Go home and tell my family that I tried. Tell Katniss that I'm sorry."

"I will."

"Be with Cato. Do not let them turn you into something that you aren't," he said.

I finally let my tears fall. I wiped them away quickly though. This wasn't over. "I won't."

Peeta pulled me close and put my ear to his mouth. "You are not a pawn in their Games," he said.

And I never would be. Never. There was still one more person that I had to get rid of. Coral. She had killed Peeta and now I was going to kill her. He would be avenged. Even if it killed me. "I'm sorry Peeta," I whispered.

He shook his head. "It's not your fault," he said.

I screamed and jumped back as one of the lion mutts jumped up to the roof of the Cornucopia and ripped Peeta away from me. "No!" I yelled.

I tried to grab him back. But I was too slow. With its free paw, it swiped out at me and I screamed as it tore my uninjured arm to ribbons. I fell back and jumped harshly when I heard the cannon for Peeta go off. Slowly I stood and glanced up to the sky as Peeta's face was shown. No, no, no. How could that have happened? Peeta was supposed to die a painless death. Not like that.

It's not over, Aspen. Get up and slaughter her. I wiped my face clean of the water and blood and even mud that was splattered over my face. It was time to get up and fight. Peeta's death would not go without being avenged. I turned back and let out a small strangled noise. I would miss him so much. I missed him already and I could only imagine how his family felt. They weren't the nicest people in the world but that was their baby. I wanted nothing more than to just drop down on the top of the structure and let myself bleed out but I couldn't.

I had not made it this far, watched friends die, and fallen in love just to give up now. I was going to win this. There was only one person left. One last kill. I could do this. I had something to live for. Prim. Katniss. Gale. I would get back to them just like I had promised. I heard the trees rustling in the background and I watched as two bodies were thrown from the woods. Cato was towering over Thresh, both with their swords in their hands. Thresh knocked Cato to the side and I noticed that he had a huge gash in his forehead. It wasn't quite as bad as mine.

But it was still relatively nasty. He would bleed out soon. We both needed help as soon as this was over. And it was about to be. My heart jumped into my throat as I saw him and I let a small smile cross my face. He seemingly had the upper hand in the fight and I was sure that he was going to live. There was no way that he wouldn't win the fight. He had to. I went to yell to him when I felt myself being knocked roughly to the side. My head smashed into the roof of the Cornucopia and I slid across it, nearly slipping off of the edge from the water.

For a moment I feared that it was a mutt who had gotten up here, but I knew what it really was. Coral. I glanced up and shook my head clear of the pain. I noticed her jump down onto me and I cried out loudly as her fist drove into my temple where the torn skin was. I could hear my name being called from afar but I wasn't able to respond. She sat herself on my lap and I looked up at her. She had a few small blood stains on her shirt and she looked like she had gone mad. Her eyes were wide and she held two glinting blades out, both lingering over my arms.

She smirked at me and I kicked out, thrashing against her, but I could get no traction on the wet metal. She laughed and made a small slit under my chin. I bit my lip, forcing myself not to cry out in pain. "Hey, Twelve. Been a long time since I've seen you. How have you been?" she asked.

"Peachy," I growled.

I thrashed out as my eyes focused on the blades in her hand. They had to have been a gift. They had never been in the Games before as they were a rather uncommon weapon. But clearly they were what she was the best with. They were called sai blades, not very common at all. They had one long blade in the middle and two smaller, sharper blades on each end of the main blade. They probably weren't as expensive as Finnick's trident had been, but they certainly weren't cheap. She noticed where my gaze was fixed and smirked.

"Oh, you like them? They were in my bag. They're my weapon of choice. Didn't think I'd get to use them in these Games," she said, rotating the blade in her left hand. "What was in your bag?"

I glared at her and she smirked down at me. "So this was your plan all along? Be tough enough so that no one wants to mess with you and you earn yourself a spot in the Careers. But you were just boring enough to keep attention off of you. Good plan," I commended.

"Thank you. I thought so too," she said.

"But there's still one thing that I don't get," I said.

She tilted her head to the side, motioning for me to continue. "Go on," she said.

"You killed him. You killed Peeta. Why?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes like she had known that this question was coming. She dropped one of the blades to my chest and I felt my heart beat quicken. I wasn't going to show her that I was scared, but she knew that I was in the weaker position. If she really wanted to she could end this right now. She would be the female Victor. But she wouldn't. She was a Career and they liked to draw things out. I hoped whichever one of the boys that won, if she killed me, I hoped that they would kill her.

"One more person in my way. Yeah, I know, one male and one female can go home but whatever. It just makes one less person that has to be in their fight. Which one do you think will win?" she asked, motioning for me to look at the boys.

Thresh was doing well holding his own but I knew that Cato was still going strong. Still, the blood loss must have been taking a toll on him. "Whichever one wins will kill you," I warned.

"We'll see. You wanna know why I really killed Lover Boy? Because I knew that it would hurt you," she said. My vision went red. I'm going to kill her. "And I was right! Your last moments will be your worst."

"These are not my last moments," I hissed.

A second later there was a low growl that came from behind me. "Hey, remember him?" she asked.

I glanced back. The other mutts had backed off, the ones that looked like the Tributes. Towering over the Cornucopia was the same wolf mutt that had nearly killed me earlier in the Games. It looked like the exact same one that I had killed and it looked like it wasn't very happy with me. The wolf snapped at me and caught my hair in its mouth. I yelled and tugged myself away from it, ripping a little bit of hair out in the process. It thrashed up and came dangerously close to jumping onto the roof. I panicked and moved back on the Cornucopia, almost managing to throw Coral off of me.

"Get off of me!" I yelled at her.

There weren't many ways out of this fight and I knew that. She unfortunately had the upper hand. But she wouldn't for long. I was going to kill her no matter how hard it was. I had to try. I had made that promise already. Prim. Katniss. Gale. As long as I kept thinking about them, I would kill her. Ripping my hands free from Coral's grasp, I punched her in the face and grabbed her around the throat. She fell back in shock and the two of us went sliding across the roof as I rolled on top of her.

The howls and grunts of the mutts were going off all over the place and I could hear the metallic rings of the blades. Come on, Cato. Win this. The mutts must have been specifically set to come near us. Their sword fight was fun enough. But this was gold. Coral grunted as I used my nails to rake across her chest. She howled and I used her momentary lapse in judgement to grab my knife and shove it onto her. She noticed me at the last moment and moved to the side so that my knife went straight into her shoulder. Painful but not a kill shot.

In fury, she reared back and yanked herself up. Sliding on the metal surface I stared at Coral with wide eyes. We were going to go flying off of the Cornucopia soon if we weren't careful. And neither one of us would be able to fight off the mutts. I knew that there wasn't much left that I could do. I only had one little plan left and it wasn't a good one. It was basically suicide. Those tended to be the only plans that I ever had. It certainly wouldn't be a wise choice. But it was the only thing that I could think of. Coral rushed forward and I grabbed an arrow.

I sunk it into her leg as she ran up to me and I heard her cry of pain, but then everything went into slow motion. The sai blade came down into my stomach and I took in one deep breath. It had punctured me in three different spots in the stomach and I could already feel myself fading. I heard a cannon and a loud shout, and for a moment I thought that it was for me. But it wasn't. Either Cato or Thresh was dead. It had to be Cato. I could practically hear the stunned silence in the Capitol and all over Panem. I fell limply, Coral dragging down with me from the pain in her knee. She looked victorious.

Her mouth was moving but the words were silent. Maybe it was because I was half-deaf. Or maybe it was because I couldn't believe it. She laughed loudly and I waited for her to move over me, just like I knew she would. With the last bit of strength that I could muster I ripped the blade out of my stomach with a loud shout and before she could stop me I drove the blade into her heart. She gasped and her eyes went wide. She would die first. She fell back off of me and I cried as I fell off to the side of her, tugging at my wounds.

"You - you," she said with a raspy voice. Please let Cato be alive. I can't lose him too. "You won't live with yourself. T - Th - This will haunt you. When y - you t - try to sleep at night y - you'll remember me. A - And you won't ever forget this. This w - will kill you," she said, struggling to keep her eyes from rolling back in her head.

Fury radiating through my veins at her words, I weakly stood and kicked her in the stomach. I slipped on the wet roof, barely noticing that the rain had stopped, leaving my hair sticking to the side of my face. "Fuck you," I growled.

With the last bit of strength I had, I roughly kicked her off of the roof. Her body slipped to the ground and I heard the mutts below growling and tearing what remained of her apart. It felt like hours had passed that I listened to her scream before her cannon finally went off. I jumped, falling onto my knees and letting the tears slip out. I had won. I was going home. But I wasn't going home whole. Huge chunks of me were missing. The mutt's growls finally silenced and I watched as they moved off back into the woods. The sun came back out and I weakly slid to the edge of the Cornucopia, falling off of it.

Everything hurt. Breathing hurt. But I had won. That was what I had to keep reminding myself of. I hit the ground roughly and collapsed onto my knees. I was now a Victor. They hadn't killed me. I covered my mouth when I saw the torn apart remains of what had once been Coral. I scoffed and moved away from the torn up pile that she was now in. It wasn't even me that had killed her. It was the mutts. On my knees I slowly moved away from the body and looked up when I heard my name being called.

"Aspen!" the voice yelled.

I looked up to see Cato running towards me. I cried out softly and let him pull me into his arms. He leaned up to me and kissed me like he hadn't seen me in years. He had a few cuts and scratches and a pretty bad gash on his arm, but other than that he looked alright.

"Are you alright?" Cato asked.

"I'll live."

"What the hell did she do to you? Look at me, you're going to be fine. We're it. We won. We're Victors," he said hollowly.

"Hooray," I said cheerlessly.

"It's okay. They're going to take us back now. We're going home. You'll see Prim. Katniss and Gale too. Come on," he said, hooking an arm under my own and pulling me up.

Crying out at the sudden pain that shot through me, Cato looked at me, silently asking me what was wrong. But I shook my head at him. Nothing was wrong. We were the last ones left. We had won. We would both get to go home. Cato slowly dragged me over towards the lake. Nothing had happened yet but they probably had to take the bodies first. So Cato walked me over to the lake and slowly helped me take a few long drinks. I didn't care if it was poisoned. They would fix me in a minute if it was.

There wasn't a piece of me that cared anymore. I just wanted to go home. A Mockingjay gave the long, low whistle, and tears of relief filled my eyes. We were going home. The hovercraft appeared and I watched as it took the remains of Coral's and Thresh's mostly uninjured-looking bodies away. Now they would take us. They were about to announce the Victors, just as they always did. The Capitol, District 2, and District 12 would erupt into cheers. Now we could go home. But again there was no response.

"We won, Cato. We get to go home," I said.

He nodded at me with a smile. "We're okay," he said.

"Why haven't they announced it yet? We didn't miss a Tribute, did we?" I asked worriedly.

He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head and looking to the sky. "No. Something's wrong," he said.

The speakers of the arena rang out and I had to strain my ears to hear it. With my ears being as damaged as they were it was hard to hear most of what they were saying. "Attention. Attention Tributes." I nocked a final arrow, just in case. "There has been a slight... rule change. The previous provision allowing for two Victors from the opposite genders has been... revoked. Only one Victor maybe crowned. Good luck. And may the odds be ever in your favor," Claudius Templesmith announced before the speakers went silent.

We both seemed to think about it for a moment before I noticed Cato shaking his head. He let his hand drop from my waist and I struggled to keep myself upright. Cato was pacing quickly and I could tell that he was about to explode. I stared at Cato in disbelief as the truth sank in. They never intended to let us both live. This had all been devised by the Gamemakers to guarantee the most dramatic showdown in history. And like a fool, I bought into it.

"No. No they can't do that. No!" Cato yelled.

I jumped at the sudden volume increase. "Cato..." I said weakly.

"You said that two people can win! One male and one female! That's who's left! The Games are over, we - are - done!" he yelled to the sky, enunciating each word.

It would only make the final fight even more dramatic. Without a doubt everyone in the Capitol was crying and sobbing over what was sure to happen. District's 2 and 12 were likely to be in a stunned silence, waiting for the first one of us to make a move. Weakly walking over to Cato, I placed my hand softly on his shoulder. Cato turned to me with depressed eyes. He whipped back around to me and his face softened when he saw that I was giving him a pleading look.

"Cato. Cato. Stop," I said.

He stared at me. "We have to do something," he said.

"We can't. They never intended for two people to be able to win. They only did that so they could draw us together. We would be determined to win together so we would be the last two standing. They wanted this fight to happen. This is all that they've wanted the entire time. They wanted this fight. They never wanted us to be together," I said, hardly able to keep myself standing.

"Aspen... We're leaving here."

I backed away from him and raised my arms out to the side, opening up the wounds in my stomach. "Do it. You kill me," I said softly, tears lingering at the corners of my eyes.

He stared at me like I had gone mad and grabbed my hand, forcing it down. I hissed at the pain and shook my head softly. It hurt like hell but the emotional pain was worse right now. "What?" he asked, shaking his head.

"We have to."

"No, Aspen, you've just lost a lot of blood you don't know what you're talking about. You don't want me to kill you," he said quickly.

"Of course not."

He was right that I didn't want him to kill me. I wanted the two of us to win together and get to go back home. I wanted us to get to be together and I wanted these Games to never happen again. But that was the problem. It was just things that I wanted. Not things that would happen. And I was lucid, I knew what I was asking him.

"I know what I'm telling you, Cato. I'll be dead in a few minutes. You kill me and you get to go home. You get to be the Victor just like you always wanted to be. Make your family proud," I said, setting my hand on his face and giving him a small kiss before pulling away.

To my shock, I saw tears swell at the corner of his eyes. He had been holding his sword and I jumped as he threw it to the ground. "No, I will not kill you. They don't get to do this. I won't. Not after everything," he said, stepping up to me.

"They'll wait until I bleed out."

"You've got one arrow left. Do it," Cato said.

Now I knew how he felt. "No. I can't. I won't," I said determinedly.

"Do it now. Before they send the mutts back. I don't want to die like that."

"No! You stab me! I'm as good as dead anyways! Shoot me and live with it," I demanded.

"You know I can't," Cato said. He rolled his arm over, pointing to the middle of his forearm. "This vein right here. If I cut it I'll bleed out in a minute. I'll go first."

I ran after him and ripped his arm off to the side. "You are not killing yourself," I snapped.

"It's what I want, Aspen. I'm not proud of what I did in here. But I'm proud of you. I asked to be here. You didn't. You deserve to go home. This is all I ever wanted. I got it. And I got to spend some time with you."

My eyes were watering and I had no doubt that everywhere, all over Panem, people were in hysterics. "Please, don't. Don't leave me alone here," I begged.

"Listen," he said pulling me to my feet. "We both know they have to have a Victor. It can only be one of us. Please, take it. For me."

And he went on about how he loved me, how he had done what he came to do and he had asked to be here, what life would be like with the knowledge that I was dead, but I had stopped listening because his previous words were trapped in my head, thrashing desperately around.

We both know they have to have a Victor. And suddenly Peeta's words came back to me and the truth of his words occurred to me. Don't let them control you. They didn't control me. They never had. They never would. Yes, they had to have a Victor. Without a Victor, the whole thing would blow up in the Gamemakers' faces. They would have failed the Capitol. Might possibly even be executed, slowly and painfully while the cameras broadcast it to every screen in the country. If Cato and I were both to die, or they thought we were... Even if we did, I would watch and laugh from the next life.

For a moment I thought that my silence might have tipped them off. I waited for the Capitol to say something, to tell us that we had won over the Capitol and they were going to let us live. But no such thing ever happened. So I shoved my bow and arrow to the ground. Anger spiking through me, my final plan shot through my mind. It was just about as terrible as my plan for Coral but it was the only one that I had. I slipped a knife out of my sheath and handed it over to him, grabbing the sai that had once been Coral's and holding it in my other. Cato shook his head and pushed the knife away.

"Aspen, I'm not killing you. I don't want it, take it -"

I cut him off and shook my head. "That's not what it's for," I said.

He raised an eyebrow, not understanding what exactly I was getting at. But he still took the knife. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"You're right. The Capitol. They control everything. They knew how these Games were going to go from the beginning. They knew who their Victor would be. But they don't control us anymore. This is over. They don't need a Victor. We don't have to give them one. You don't have much time. I'll be gone in a few minutes," I said, and the realization crossed his face.

Turning the knife over in his hand a few times, he looked over at me and grabbed my hand tightly. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. You don't have to do it."

"I'm not leaving you alone, remember?" Cato asked.

Even facing death I smiled weakly. He wasn't at all the man that I had originally expected him to be. He wasn't at all. He had proven that time and time over. I wasn't really sure about my plan, but this was my way of telling them that they didn't own me. And that they weren't that strong. They wouldn't make Cato and I turn on each other. Cato leaned forward and kissed me as gently as he ever had. He grabbed my chin and sweetly grabbed it, making me smile. We stood together with our spare hands locked.

"On three?" he asked.

"Yes. Hold them out. I want everyone to see," I said.

We both pointed the blades of the weapons and I took in a deep breath. This had never happened before. Would they really let us do it? "One..." Cato muttered.

"Two..." I whispered.

Please take Prim out of the room, Katniss. Don't let her think that this was her fault. It wasn't. None of this. Forgive me, Gale, for everything. I love you so much and you are the reason that I fought this hard. I'm sorry that this is the way that it all had to end. I wanted to see you both again, but it won't work out like that. Those were my last thoughts to my best friends. To my family. And to my parents. I'm coming, Mom, Dad. You'd be proud.

We didn't bother to say the last number, but we nodded at each other, knowing that it was time. Cato reached over and briefly brushed back my braid, a final moment of comfort. It was now or never. Maybe they really didn't care if we died. But they would. They would care the moment that they realized that they would have no Victor this year. I raised my blade along with Cato and went to throw it down into my heart. I didn't want to die but it was too late to stop. But right before I actually moved the blade, I heard the speakers from the arena start again.

"Stop! Stop!" Claudius Templesmith yelled loudly into the microphone and I let my hands drop to my side. "Ladies and gentlemen. May I present the winners of the Seventy Fourth Annual Hunger Games. From District 2, Cato Hadley and from District 12, Aspen Antaeus."

The speakers went blank again and I dropped the blade. Losing my balance, I fell into Cato's arms and the two of us went sprawling to the ground. I might have laughed but I wasn't really sure. The speakers were playing the reaction of the Capitol citizens. Like I had expecting, the roar was deafening. Literally. Cato looked like he was saying something but I couldn't hear him. I watched the hovercraft head over to us and we both looked at each other. We kissed briefly before I looked up. The hovercraft was extremely loud, drowning out the cheers, as it hovered above us. I moved to his ear and placed my hand on his neck.

"We did it. We won. We get to go home," I said.

Cato turned to smile at me. We were both broken. But we were together. The Capitol - for once - hadn't won. The doors to the hovercraft opened and I squinted at the bright light that came down on us. Two ladders were dropped but Cato wasn't letting go of me. He kept an arm around our waist as he locked his grip on me. The electric current froze us in our places as we slowly started to be raised up into the hovercraft. What happened once we were inside, I would never know. Before we entered it the world went black.

In The Tribute Recovery Center...

Seneca Crane slowly walked through the halls of the Tribute Center, everything blurry and the world muted. He had turned around at the last second to see what Aspen and Cato had done. What she had done. What was very likely about to get him killed. Seneca's hands were shaking as he walked up to the Tribute Recovery Center. They would both be in surgery by now. The Games were over, the Capitol was celebrating, and Panem was thrilled. But he was terrified. He had to see what had happened between the two Tributes in person. He had to see if they really looked as terrible as it seemed.

At the Tribute Recovery Center, everything was alive and buzzing with activity. In exam room one Victor Cato Hadley was being looked over, a heavy sedative pumping through his veins. He had a nasty gash above his head, a big opened wound in his arm, as well and a cracked rib. Along with plenty of scrapes and bruises that were commonly found in Victors when they first returned to the Capitol. But those were all easy fixes. He would be awake and as good as new in the morning. The only thing that would be any proof that he was ever in the arena were the videos.

Deciding that he could go back and check on the male Victor later, as he had far less life-threatening injuries, he headed to the emergency surgery room where Aspen Antaeus was currently being operated on. It wasn't like Seneca cared much for Cat Hadley anyways. He was just another Career. It was Aspen that he cared for. She had a list of injures for more extensive than her fellow Victor had. He pushed the door open and looked down at her. She looked horrible. She looked like a wild animal.

She had a large split in the skin around her temple. There was blood all over her forehead and Seneca could see the white of bone beneath it. He sighed and looked down her. She had large cuts all over her and she had broken a vertebrae. The doctors were confident that she would be fine, but she had been close to being paralyzed. Besides that she also had a broken arm and two broken toes. And, to his horror, both her lungs and heart had suffered small puncture wounds. She also had a cracked rib like Cato. In addition to that she had third degree burns all over her right arm and was mostly deaf in one ear.

All in all, she was lucky that she had come up with that plan when she did. Another few minutes and she would have been dead and Cato Hadley would have been the Victor. Just the way that it should have been. Seneca knew that it was his call whether or not to save her. The entire staff was looking at him for direction. But he was torn about what to do. They could save her, but he had to tell them to do it now. The beeping of the monitor slowed until Seneca waited with baited breath for the next beep.

When one never came he turned back to look at her. He walked up to the Victor in a slight panic but was pushed back by one of the doctors. She had gone into cardiac arrest and he felt his breath quicken when he saw that she was on a flat line. Dead. He waited as the doctors placed a pad on top of her chest and it gave her heart an electric shock. They pressed it to her once more before she slow beeping finally came back and the doctors were able to read a low blood pressure. They turned back to him and he felt his heart twist.

It was obvious that the Head Gamemaker was torn over what to do. If he saved her than the Capitol would be thrilled and he wouldn't have to deal with a potential uprising from District 12. Or District 2. Even they had lately become rather fond of her. Everyone was. But if he let her die then he wouldn't have to think about what future Games would be like. People wanting the two Victor rule to stay in place.

"Seneca," he heard President Snow call from behind him and he froze.

He had been hoping that it would be a few days before he saw the President again, but he should have figured that the older man would stop by to see how the girl was faring. "Sir?" Seneca asked, trying to keep his lunch down.

"I wondered if I might have a word with you," President Snow said.

Seneca nodded. It hadn't been a question. That much Seneca knew. "Yes, sir," Seneca said.

"How is she looking?"

With a deep sigh, Seneca turned back to the table on which Aspen was laying. Her shirt and pants had been pulled off. But for once he wasn't looking at her figure, he was looking at her wounds. "For now she's close to being dead. She just went into cardiac arrest. They saved her but they'll have to start working now. I have to give them the orders to save her soon. She suffered quite a bit of internal injuries and it won't be long before she falls back into cardiac arrest," Seneca said.

President Snow slowly nodded. "The boy?" President Snow asked.

"Cato Hadley will be fine. He's in surgery now for his arm and head," Seneca said.

"I figured as much."

"But what about her?" Seneca asked carefully, not wanting to push his buttons more than they had already.

President Snow looked back to the girl and sighed as he watched her body being washed off. She looked like she had been run over by a truck and he knew that she would feel strange when she woke up. She would be expecting to feel the pain but she would feel nothing. They would make it to the point where she wouldn't even be able to tell if the arena was just a nightmare.

"Save her," President Snow snapped.

The doctors immediately went to work, rushing and fussing over the girl. He watched them closely for a moment before turning back to look at his old friend. "It's the best choice," Seneca said slowly.

"You know, I honestly can't believe these Games. I've been surprised at outcomes before. I haven't seen the people so happy about their Victor in a long time. I think it was Finnick Odair who was the last person to get a reaction like that," President Snow said.

Seneca nodded. He hadn't been much older than Finnick had been when he had won the Games. "Yes. They adored him," Seneca said.

"They do. Just like they do with her. She's well loved," President Snow added.

The Head Gamemaker had to stifle the sigh that threatened to escape his mouth. He couldn't have been happier that the President had decided to save the female Victor. But he still wanted to know why he had chosen to save the girl that he seemed to hate so much.

"Sir, pardon me for saying anything but I would have thought that you had wanted her dead," Seneca said. President Snow lifted his eyebrow. "Look at everything that she did while she was in the Games."

Slowly President Snow paced the room and Seneca could tell how tense the air was. That was exactly what the President could do. Make everyone beyond nervous. "Funny isn't it?" President Snow asked.

Seneca cocked his head at the man. "Funny?" Seneca asked.

"She did so much damage yet she is so well loved. Normally I would say to kill her, let her die and say it was an accident. Do you know why I didn't tell you to do that?" Snow asked.

Seneca shook his head. "No, sir," he said.

"Because they love the idea of the two of them together. They love her so much. The people would be in an uproar if something happened to her. So we will save her. She will get up and go to the recap and crowning tomorrow," President Snow ordered, turning back to leave the room.

Seneca was about to say something to the President but he was saved by the head of the staff at the Tribute Recovery Center. The middle aged man with bright red hair walked up to President Snow and shook his head at the man. He looked nervous and Seneca couldn't blame him. He was about to tell the President no and he held held the life of the new female Victor in his hands.

"Sir, I'm not sure if she'll be up by tomorrow," he said. He jumped as the President turned back to him. "She has some extreme internal injuries. In fact, I'm almost positive that she won't be up by tomorrow."

The President shook his head and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He walked up to the head doctor with an even stare and motioned back to where Aspen lay, ready for a heart and lung surgery. "How long do you think that it will be before she's able to get up and walk to the recap?" he asked the younger man, challenging him to give a poor answer.

Seneca was no stranger to the term, don't shoot the messenger, and he had plenty of first hand experience of it. Especially working so close with the President and having to deliver him news of the arena. "At the least, probably about two days," the doctor announced, fearing the President's reaction.

"At the least?" President Snow asked tersely.

"She might be awake tomorrow but it will take her a while to gain the strength back to actually get up and be able to walk onto the stage. I suggest giving her at least three days and push back the ceremony," the doctor said gently.

The room was silent other than the beeping of the machines that Aspen was hooked up to. "One day pushed back is enough. She'll be up and ready for the ceremony in two days. Thank you," he said to the doctor, who looked disappointed at the outcome but nodded anyways, not daring to fight with the President.

"Yes, sir," the doctor said.

"Seneca, I'm going to head to the Broadcasting Center. It's time to do some damage control," he said.

"Yes, sir," Seneca said.

Everyone knew that right now the only safe thing to do was obey every one of President Snow's orders and not dare make him angry. President Snow turned and walked over to stand at Aspen's bedside. The skin over her stomach had been pulled apart and Seneca stared nervously. She looked dead, even though he knew that she wasn't. They were just preparing her for surgery. She would be fine. President Snow brushed a strand of hair away from her face and stared down at the girl.

"You have caused quite the chaos out there. Be prepared for a storm, Miss Antaeus. You've got more coming your way. The Games were just the beginning," he hissed, before turning and stomping out of the room.


	20. Chapter Twenty

The sky darkened and my heart rate picked up. I couldn't see a thing and the Gamemakers knew it. It was exactly what they wanted. They could surprise us when this moment came. This was the Death Match. It was everything that I had trained for. Gale had taught me how to handle this. I had volunteered for Prim for a reason. I could do this. All I had to do was kill him. One last kill. I knew that I could do it. But he was out here, hunting me. Just the way that I was hunting him. I was faster, but he was stronger. That didn't matter. I would kill him. Just the way that I had told myself that I would for years before this day.

My foot sunk into the dark mud and I grimaced. Why was it raining? Hadn't we suffered enough? Now not only we were injured but we had hypothermia. As I internally complained at the weather, I felt a huge weight hit my side and send me sprawling into the wet ground. The arena was flooding and I had to pick myself up before he could drown me in the water. I almost half-hoped that it was a mutt that had gotten to me but it wasn't heavy enough. And I knew that laugh. It was the one that had haunted me for days. His beautiful blue eyes shimmered, the only thing that I could see in the darkness that surrounded us.

I tried to push myself up but I was pressed down by the heel of his boot. I struggled as my body sank into the mud and the sides of my face sank under the water. My hands flew up around his ankle as I tried to throw him off balance, but he only laughed. He was too heavy for me to move. He suddenly turned my head roughly to the side, water invading my eyes, nose, and mouth. I had no way to breathe so I blindly began to flail. I couldn't die. Not now. Not when I was so close to getting back to them. As I thrashed in the water, I felt him lean down to me. His warm breath slid across my face as spots took over my vision.

"Don't struggle. It makes the pain worse. Say hello to your parents for me," he hissed.

"No!" I shouted. It was the last thing that I said before a knife came down over my chest.

Bolting up in my bed, a sharp scream tore out of my mouth and I nearly flung myself from the bed. I tried to run away from the man who was still holding me down but I was shocked to see that it was only Cato. He was shirtless and his pants were on the floor. Had I done something that I shouldn't have last night? My memory finally began to return to me as I remembered that everyone had left us alone after the Interviews and the party and I had asked Cato to stay with me, not wanting to be alone the first night out of the arena.

"Good morning," he said with his stupid smirk, knowing that I was embarrassed at my little show of myself. This was not how I wanted to start my first day back to normal.

"Morning," I snapped.

"Nightmare, I take it?" he asked, a concerned look replacing his smirk.

I nodded at him slowly and let a breath of air leave my body again. My heart rate was almost back to normal but the dream of the Games had been so realistic. Maybe it was because I knew what nearly drowning felt like. I shook the thought of my near-death experience out of my head and nodded to Cato. I didn't want to tell him that I was still having nightmares that he was the one that was killing me. I couldn't imagine that it would feel good.

"Yeah. It was just creepy, I'm fine. Just glad to be awake," I said quickly, hoping that he wouldn't question me about the dream. "Trust me, this is the best damn morning I've had in a long time."

"Me too," he said.

He gave me a small nod and I watched as he stretched. When we had slept with each other in the arena, we had both been almost completely clothed. The one time he had seen me completely topless was when I had sustained life-threatening injuries and he had actually been mildly respectful. Now we were both one step away from being naked. Although, instead of being embarrassed like I normally was, I smiled when I watched each of his abdominal muscles strain, the veins in his arms popping out slightly as he stretched his arms over his head. The chunk of synthetic skin made no movement.

"The arm," I muttered.

"It's fine, Aspen."

"What happened?"

"They showed it in the Recaps."

"I didn't really watch them."

Cato sighed and pulled me into him. "It was once I called the lion mutt after me. I thought that I was getting away from it. I was battling it with the sword but I missed one swing. It was faster than I was expecting. It bit down and tore off most of the muscle," Cato explained.

It turned out that I wasn't the only one that had become a meal of one of the mutts. "The bear did the same thing to me, just not as badly. Oh, Cato. You shouldn't have called it after you," I said.

"It kept it away from you."

"But -"

"It saved your life."

"I didn't ask you to do that! Please... just... don't do that. Don't give your life for me," I muttered. I couldn't live with myself if you died," I whispered.

Cato sighed and pulled me up so that I was looking him in the eyes. "How you're feeling right now... It's how I felt the entire Games. Seeing you almost slaughtered at the Bloodbath, seeing you after the wolf mutt, after Jason and the fire, during the Tracker Jackers, with Rue, when I woke up the day of the feast and you were gone, and the Death Match. All of those. That's how I felt the entire time," he said.

For some reason I really hadn't thought that I meant that much to him. "I didn't know," I said.

"I couldn't tell you. I didn't know how."

For a while we laid in silence. "Did you have a nightmare?" I asked.

A moment of hesitation passed. "Yes."

"What was it about?"

"Take a guess."

He gave me a very pointed look. It was enough to tell me that my question was every pointless. And I knew that it was. It was because I was the thing that had been in his nightmare. But not with me hurting him. Him losing me. It was proof that I still didn't know him that well. It didn't seem like he would have nightmares. He had also been perfectly calm this morning. Although the only thing on my mind when I had woken up was my nightmare. It would have been easy for me to miss it.

"Should I leave?" he finally asked.

People would already be in the living room and there was no way that he would be able to sneak past them. We would face the consequences together. "No. Effie should be in here in any minute to wake us up," I told him truthfully. We all wanted to head out of the Capitol as soon as we could.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"It might actually look better if you stay in here."

Like clockwork, a knock rang out from behind the door and I knew that there was only one person that would be standing on the other side. "Knock, knock!" Effie stupidly called out.

We both rolled our eyes. "Now you know how I've felt," I groaned to Cato.

"You have my condolences."

"Wake up, Aspen. Today is the day that you get to return home to your -" she called before opening the door. She stopped when she saw Cato and I in bed. I hadn't realized that the two of us in bed together, half-dressed might not have looked too good. "Oh! I didn't realize that you had company last night."

"We just fell asleep. It was late," I muttered.

"Not a problem. I'll let you two get ready. Breakfast is on the table. Cato, Brutus and Enobaria are here for breakfast too," she said.

He nodded at her, standing from his spot on the bed. I watched her as her eyes followed his movements. They went wide for a minute when he stood and turned from her. Her eyes dropped right to where mine had last night and I rolled my eyes. Maybe us women were all the same. I knew that Effie would never do anything with a person from the Districts, and a Victor at that, but her staring still bothered me. Curious though, I hadn't known that I was a jealous person.

"Thanks, Effie. We'll be out in a few minutes. You can get started without us," I said, breaking her line of sight to Cato.

She got back to her original purpose as she shook her head and smiled widely at me. "Start without the Victors?" she asked, scoffing loudly at the thought.

"It's just breakfast, Effie," I muttered.

"I don't think so! It's a celebration for the two of you. We won't see you for months. We have to get a chance to sit down and talk with you one last time!" she said excitedly, with a big smile on her face.

I smiled at Effie and let the sheets fall down around my waist. All of Panem had seen me half-naked already. But I was sure that they had all been focused on the injuries. "Is everyone there?" I asked, ruffling my hair that was splayed all over my head.

"They are," she said, handing me my brush.

"Thanks."

As I ran the brush through her hair I listened to her list. "Brutus, Enobaria, Carrine, Flavius, Cinna, Octavia, Venia, Darella, Haymitch, and myself will all be there," she said.

I was glad that Cinna was there. I wanted to be sure to tell him goodbye before I had to leave. "Wonderful," I said.

"Everyone wants to see you both one last time before we see you off," Effie said.

Forcing myself to give her a grin back I ran the list of people through my head. There was Brutus and Enobaria who I wasn't overly fond of. Enobaria seemed nice enough but she still scared the hell out of me. And Brutus was just an asshole that I couldn't stand to be around for more than a few minutes. Maybe he would be silent throughout breakfast. Flavius, Octavia, and Venia would more than likely babble with Effie about the latest fashion in the Capitol. I liked them well enough but their incessant rambling got a little irritating at times. But I knew that they meant well.

Haymitch and Cinna were the only ones that I actually looked forward to seeing. I loved Cinna like I would have loved my father and Haymitch was actually somewhat of a brotherly figure to me, even though he was old enough to be my father. But he was annoying while Cinna was understanding. And I vaguely remembered Carrine. She was Cato's Head Stylist. The only name that I didn't recognize was Darella. I had never heard of her and I assumed that she was one of Cato's people. But I still wanted to know who they were.

"Who's Darella?" I asked Effie.

Instead of giving her a chance to respond to me, Cato leaned over the bed and took a seat on my side barely rubbing against me. I saw a small smile grace Effie's face and I couldn't help but let a little blush rise to my face. She knew how much Cato meant to me and her face showed it.

"Darella is the Escort for District 2," he said.

I had figured that they were people from his team. "That makes sense," I said.

"She's nice but she never shuts the hell up. I've yelled at her more than once," he told me and I laughed loudly.

"I know exactly how you feel," I said.

We were all silent for a moment and I waited for Effie to leave so that I could get changed. I still had some of my dignity to keep. "Alright, then! I'll head back into the dining room and let everyone know that you're both getting ready. Wear something nice today, the both of you. Cato, I have this to give you from Brutus," she said, handing him a pile of clothes.

He nodded at her and took them. "Thank you," he said.

"Aspen, I trust that you can find something decent?" she asked.

I let a nasty glare settle over my face. I knew how to dress better than she did. At least I thought so. "I think I'll manage," I snarled.

"Wonderful! Hurry on, you two, we have a schedule to keep today. Oh and Aspen, you have a short meeting before we leave," Effie said.

Effie went to leave the room but before she could I called out to her. If I had a meeting did that mean that Cato had a meeting too? "With who? Why?" I asked.

She probably didn't know why the meeting was being called but I assumed that she at least knew who had called the meeting in the first place. She shifted awkwardly on her heels for a minute and I felt a lump form in my throat. What was so bad that she was afraid to tell me? I would have thought that I had already been through the worst.

"Seneca Crane would like to speak with you before you leave for home," she said.

My heart sank into my stomach. What the hell did she mean that Seneca Crane would want to speak with me? What did he want of me? I had already played his stupid Games. "Why?" I asked desperately.

"He didn't really say what he wanted. He did say that President Snow would stop by too," she added.

Cato placed his hand on my leg. He knew that I was internally panicking, despite my calm exterior. "Why?" I repeated, even more severely.

"It shouldn't take more than ten minutes, nothing to worry about. Haymitch will take you to them when breakfast is over."

Clearly she had no idea that the thought of talking with both men in private after what I had done made me wish that I had died in the arena. I knew whatever they wanted wasn't good. It never was when they asked to speak with a Tribute in private. In fact I was relatively sure that it had never happened before.

"They didn't want to say anything to me?" I asked, trying to prod her to tell me something that she met be keeping to herself.

She shrugged and dropped her head to her nails. I knew that she didn't mean to seem so insensitive but she had no idea that this was more than just a little meeting. They could kill me! "Just that they wish you good luck with adjusting to being back home and that they would see you after the Victory Tour," she said carelessly.

"That's nice of them," I growled.

"Hurry up kids, breakfast will get cold," she said, before walking out of the room.

The doors slid closed behind her and I realized that my hands were bound so tightly around the sheets that they were beginning to tear small holes in them from my nails. I pulled my hands away from my sheet and dropped my head into my hands. Cato laid his hand on my bare back and he placed a small kiss on the back of my head. I sniffed softly and forced myself to look up from my legs. I wasn't going to cry, there was nothing good that would come from that. Just as I prepared to say something the door slid open and in walked Lavinia. She looked shocked to see me.

My jaws flapped for a moment as she apologetically tried to back out of the room. "Wait!" I called. She looked back at me in fear. "I just... Thank you. For everything."

She gave me something that might have been akin to a blank smile. She tapped me on the chest before turning and walking back out of the room. I assumed that she had been ordered to stay away from me. Maybe they somehow knew that we knew each other. Cato was staring at me blankly.

"Was that...?" he trailed off.

"That's her. Lavinia. The girl from the woods."

"She looks healthy, at least," Cato said, trying to comfort me.

As happy as I was to see her again, unharmed, there were now more pressing matters at hand. "What the hell do you think that they want with me?" I asked.

"Crane and Snow?"

"Yes. I did what they asked. I stayed faithful to the story that we came up with and I apologized for Rue. What else can they possibly want from me? I've given them everything," I asked breathlessly. "I just want to get the hell out of this place."

Cato held me tightly in his arms for a moment before pushing me off. I sat up slightly and looked him in the eyes. He looked like he was sorry but he looked more determined than anything else. "Two more hours and then we're on the way home," he said.

"They can't come fast enough."

"I know. But they can't do anything to you. The Games are over. It's probably just to threaten you one last time. Just ignore them. They wouldn't dare to hurt you, everyone loves you too much."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I can't imagine why."

Reaching back I whacked him in the head. But I was appreciative for the moment of happiness. "Me neither," I finally admitted.

Cato kissed me on the forehead. "Nod at them and tell them that you understand and get away from them," he said.

"Okay."

Sighing deeply I stood and walked over to the dresser. "Too bad, I'll miss seeing that," Cato called, whistling lowly.

I turned back to Cato and glared deeply at him. It wasn't the first time that he had said something like that and I doubted that it would be the last. "Shut up," I growled.

Glancing around, I picked up a pillow and chucked it at his head. He ducked out of the way at the last moment and laughed at my disappointed face. As I turned back to the dresser to grab an outfit that was suitable for Effie's standards, I noticed that Cato had stood too and was pulling on the outfit that Brutus had sent him. He had stripped down to everything but his underwear and I walked over, grabbing his arm, looking it over.

"How would you feel if I started looking in your ear?" Cato asked.

"You can once I'm done."

"Aspen, I'm fine. What's got you so bugged about this?"

He pulled his arm back from me. "Because I hate knowing that there's something in me that came from the Capitol. I just - I want it out. I hate having even a piece of them with me at all times. It makes me feel like they're controlling me," I said.

"You would really want them removing it and leaving you half-deafened?"

"Kind of," I muttered.

Cato sighed and pulled me into him. "You're a hunter. You need your ears more than anything. Don't say that," he said.

"This whole thing just makes me so angry."

"We're almost done. Next step is getting dressed," he said, shoving me to the dresser.

It made us both smile. We had been far too serious over the past few weeks. We just needed some time to be young. Rifling through the drawer I nearly laughed at everything that I was throwing to the side. It was all party clothes. They were things that I should have been wearing to celebrate my victory. But I wanted none of it. I wanted something suitable to District 12. Home. As I continued to dig through the drawer, I finally found something not completely offensive.

There was a tight, gray knit sweater that would cut short on my stomach. With nothing else looking suitable, I pulled it out along with a pair of jean shorts. I found a pair of black boots in the corner of the room, all too similar to the pair that I had worn in the arena, and pulled them onto my feet. Tying my long blonde hair up on top of my head I stared at myself in the vanity and nodded. It wasn't perfect but it was close enough. Effie would just have to live with it. I turned back to Cato and nodded at him. He was wearing a low riding pair of dark jeans and a black button down shirt.

He looked me up and down and grinned sleazily at me. I rolled my eyes at him and gave him a tiny shove, laughing as he threw me down onto the bed. I should have known that he would easily be able to fight me off. I rolled myself off of him slightly and landed right in front of him. He gave me a small grin and a hand to help me back to my standing height. Not that it was very much. I still only came up to his chest. In fact it looked like I might have shrank slightly while I was in the arena. Or maybe it was just the weight loss.

"Ready to get out of here?" Cato asked.

"You have no idea," I said happily.

"Actually, I do."

I gave him a small smile. "Come on," I said.

This would be the last time that I would ever see the inside of this room. The next time that I was anywhere near it, I would be Mentoring another young girl in the same position that Peeta and I had been in. Peeta... What would I say when I saw his family? What would I say when I saw everyone? I loved them but I didn't know how they felt about me during the entire Games. I hadn't exactly been a good person during them and I had done some pretty awful things. I pulled Cato out of the room, shaking those thoughts from my head.

We walked out of my room and down the corridor before stepping out into the living room. Everyone was gathered around the table, with two spots open for Cato and myself. "Good morning, everyone," I called, walking over to the table.

"First one in a damn long time," Cato added.

"You said it," I added.

I took the empty spot between Haymitch and Cinna. Cato took the seat across from me and in between Enobaria and Effie. We both pulled a little bit of food onto our plates as the chorus of good morning's were repeated to us. I served myself a good portion of eggs and was about to pile on bacon before I stopped myself. I remembered what exactly I was going to be doing later on today and I thought to myself that just in case I got a little queasy, the less I had in my stomach the better.

"Good morning, Victors," Brutus piped up.

"Brutus," I greeted awkwardly.

"I trust that you both a rather restless night together? You know, these walls are only so thin. Next time you two chose to -" he began.

"Shut it, Brutus. I was here all night, you weren't. They were near silent," Haymitch defended us.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Cato and I hadn't done anything last night but it was still awkward to have other people think that we had. Cato was glaring at his ex-Mentor and I noticed Enobaria place a calming hand on his shoulder. The jovial mood that I had been in had already been destroyed by Effie's announcement this morning and I didn't need Brutus to make things any worse.

"I don't think that you were really overly fond of sleeping alone the night after you got back to normal," Haymitch hissed to Brutus.

"I slept like a baby," Brutus snapped.

"How did the two of you sleep?" Haymitch asked us.

I waited for Cato to say something about his night but he stayed silent. "I was fine," I lied.

"Liar," Haymitch called me out.

My face fell slightly. "Fine. Nightmares. Bad ones," I answered softly.

"That's normal," Haymitch consoled.

"They kept me tossing and turning all night," I said, shaking slightly as a shiver ran up my back.

They had been so realistic and the pain had felt like it was really there. But it wasn't. That was what I had to remember. Enobaria looked over to me and I raised my eyebrows. She never had anything nice to say. She was actually one of the softer spoken Victors, hardly ever saying anything to the reporters. But that didn't matter. The way that she had won had made her one of the most loved Victors. She would probably be the most loved Victor if she actually was nice to people. But I didn't blame her for being rude.

"It's only your first night back. They'll be bad for months, maybe even years. But they will get better," she said. I nearly dropped my fork. She was being nice to me. Why? "You just have to remember that it's over. You're safe. You'll never go back into the arena."

Cato was as confused with her actions as I was. I had never seen a soft side of Enobaria. "But we have to live with what we did in there for the rest of our lives," I said.

"It's something that every Victor has to learn. It's tough. But it's the way you get through life," Haymitch said.

"No matter how long or short they might be now," I said softly, knowing that someone would tell me that I shouldn't say things like that.

Instead of someone saying something to try and change my attitude it was something completely different. "Look at that!" Brutus yelled, starling me.

My straight face fell into a glare. He actually looked amused at what I had said. "What?" I snarled at Brutus.

"She might have actually learned something in that arena. Other than how to get someone else to fight her battles for her," he said.

My anger was rising. Brutus was across from me, just close enough for me to hit. But I had to stay calm, he was only trying to push my buttons. "Excuse you," I hissed.

"Or maybe how to just scrape past death, when we all know that you should be dead," he said. My hand tightened around my knife. "Be with your little friend, what was her name again?"

Suddenly my anger took over. Blindly I jumped up and slammed the knife down onto the table. It landed in between his forefinger and middle finger and I scoffed, plopping back down into my seat. I should have driven that right through his hand. Brutus pulled my knife from the table and I rolled my eyes as he began to twirl it between his fingers.

"Nice aim, kid."

I dropped further into my seat and let my breaths come out in short bursts. I had wanted to kill him. Part of me had wanted to plunge that between his eyes. But I couldn't do that. I wasn't a killer. Not really. I had been forced to do the things that I had in the arena. Out here I had choices. And I had made the choice to not kill Brutus. I had hoped to scare him but it seemed like I had done nothing other than amuse him. I looked around the room and saw that everyone was looking at me in shock, even Cato. I rolled my eyes and looked over the break in the table to Effie.

"What? No mahogany comment?" I asked, figuring that she was angry that I had scraped her precious mahogany table.

She turned her head away from the table. "Not when he deserved it," she said, surprising myself and seemingly everyone else.

She had been the one person that I had thought would yell at me for the table, but she was supporting my actions. "Thank you, Effie," I said, with a sincere smile before turning my angry glare to Brutus. "As for you, I have every right to be here. Just as much as you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, I might have been saved by people a few times but he was saved by me too if you remember. Oh, and let's not forget about the mutts that I killed single-handed. More than you ever did if I recall," I sneered.

The anger rose in his eyes. "I didn't do anything to make the Gamemakers hate me so much that they had to set mutts on me."

"And if that isn't enough, I still killed seven damn Tributes while I was in there!" I yelled loudly, not caring about the small hushes that I was getting.

"It's not that impressive."

"It's more than you if I recall correctly," I hissed.

"You were credited with more kills. I actually killed more."

"You must be so proud. Killing children. I lost friends in there and don't even know if my friends back home hate me because of what I did in that arena. I have as much right to be here as you do, probably even more," I hissed.

Brutus wasn't a particularly mean man to the other Victors but I knew that he didn't have a taste for me because I had ruined his precious Tribute. The feeling was mutual. "Oh? And why is that? Please enlighten me," he said, a nasty glint in his eyes.

I leaned forward on the table. Everyone looked nervous as the two of us exchanged glances but I was under control. I wasn't going to attack anyone. "Because I'm human," I said.

"I don't follow, Fire Girl," Brutus teased.

"I've seen what you did in that arena. You went in there and killed without any restraint. You never showed any remorse, even after you won. You never apologized to the families. Not even to the girl who you grew up with," I said, spotting the anger rise in his eyes. "You killed your District partner and she was a friend of yours, wasn't she?"

Every part of me knew that I was treading in dangerous waters. But I was speaking the truth. He had gone into the arena and killed everyone. Even his District partner who had been a good friend of his. He hadn't even said goodbye to her like she had asked. He just killed her and went home. He never even said another word to her family, the people who had been like his second parents.

"You know nothing of what being a Victor really entails."

"I think I get it."

"It isn't the Games that will affect you for the rest of your life. It's what happens once you leave that arena. Maybe have a chat with Finnick one day about it," he said.

Any response that I had died in my throat. Finnick? What had he meant by that? Finnick had given me a warning when we were up on the roof that night and a few times after that but it had always been cryptic. Why did even Brutus know what Finnick had to say, but not me?

"Brutus. Leave her alone," Haymitch snapped.

Brutus huffed at my Mentor. "Just making conversation," he said.

"We all came here to eat one last meal together before we have to send the happy Victor's off. Don't ruin it. Eat, kids. We have to leave soon. We're behind schedule," Haymitch said.

We nodded, going back to our meals. I shoveled the rest of my eggs in my mouth and downed the glass of milk in front of me. It reminded me of Prim and her goat. I couldn't wait to see her. As I stared at my empty plate I started to think what my homecoming would be like. Would everyone be cheering for me or would they be silent? Still upset that they had lost Peeta? Would Gale be there after everything that had happened? Would he forgive me? Would Prim be afraid of me now? Would Katniss still stand with me? Would they come to live with me in Victor's Village? It was what they deserved.

"Oh, Aspen, when you're done eating I need to take you to go speak with Seneca Crane," Effie said, shattering my thoughts.

"I know," I muttered.

"He must wish to congratulate you in person! He's seemed very fond of you through the whole Games," she said.

My skin crawled. "I think he'd sooner throw me off a cliff," I said.

Besides President Snow, Seneca Crane was the last person that I wanted to speak with right now. I just wanted to go home and try to forget about everything that had happened. "I'm not sure that his fondness for her is why he would like to speak with her," Cinna said.

We exchanged a brief smile. He seemed to always know exactly what to say to me. "I have a feeling that's exactly why he wants to speak to her," Brutus snorted.

What the hell did that mean? "Enough, Brutus. Now," Enobaria warned.

Strange looks were being exchanged around the table and I glanced at Cato. He seemed as lost as I was. "It doesn't matter. I'll make sure that she looks presentable," Cinna said.

I rolled my eyes, knowing that he had only said it to appease Effie. She seemed pleased enough with his answer as she smiled and looked down at her compact mirror, snapping it shut and tossing it onto the table.

"Thank you, Cinna. I know that everyone is so happy with the way that you've been dressing Aspen this year," Effie said.

"I've been very fond of having her," Cinna said, making me smile.

Maybe they wanted me to be a model for Cinna's clothes. "They'll probably want you to move up Districts. Maybe if you're lucky they'll move you to District 2!" Effie cried.

I glanced over to Carrine, who was wearing a look of horror on her face. Cinna seemed to notice her look and rested a hand on the woman's leg. Carrine had done well with Cato and Clove and that was exactly why they wouldn't move her. She caught the essence of District 2 perfectly. They would never move her. But Effie was right about Cinna, they might want to move him after he had proved himself so well.

"You would do well somewhere else," I muttered sadly.

"I won't move. I have something to keep me here," Cinna said.

There was a glint in his eyes as he looked at me. "Good," I whispered.

"Come on, everyone. Let's get you ready," Cinna said.

"Alright."

I stood and walked over to my Prep Team, who were heading over to the living room. It was the first time that I had really seen them since leaving the arena. I walked over to the group and gave a sad smile when Flavius pulled me into him. "Oh, Aspen we were so worried for you during the Games!" he yelled.

"Thank you," I said.

He started to work on my hair. He was tugging on it slightly, straightening it with a warm tool. I smiled when the warm hair laid down on my back. "We wanted to come see you for the recovery and we wanted to help get you ready for the post Interviews but Cinna thought it would be better for only one of us to be around you so soon after you came back to us," Flavius said.

My Prep Team was wonderful but they talked too much. I probably would have had a heart attack had they continuously been speaking to me right after I had woken up. "He was right. I love you guys but I needed some time to let everything sink in. I needed to make sure that it wasn't a dream," I said softly.

"We understand," Venia said.

Octavia tweezed at my eyebrows and Venia went to work on my nails. She was giving me a coat of a forest green and I smiled. It reminded me of home. "Sometimes I still have to stop and consider whether or not this is a dream or not," I added after a moment, unsure if I had wanted them to hear me or not.

Octavia clearly heard me. "Well you'll be living the dream!" she yelled, ripping out a few stray hairs.

I hissed at her but was able to keep my mouth shut. "It will just be perfect," Venia added.

"You and your friends will be able to move into the Victor's Village mansion and you will have everything you've ever wanted," Octavia said, with a genuine smile.

Venia nodded her agreement and I sighed. I knew that they loved everything to do with the Games and the Capitol. It was just the way that they were raised. I didn't blame them for that. They only talked about the things that they loved. The things that they had been taught were right. For a long time they babbled back and forth. It was almost annoying the way that any time they were talking about something that had happened to me during the Games, it was always about what they were doing or where they had been when it had happened. At least they were rather endearing.

"You'll certainly be the talk of the Capitol for years to come," Octavia said.

I wanted nothing to do with these people. I wished that they hated me so my name would never leave their mouths again. "Wonderful," I groaned.

"Everyone loves you so much. I can't imagine what it will be like when the excitement from the Games dies down," Octavia said, sighing sadly.

Before I got the chance to reply, Cinna grabbed my hand and pulled me up to my feet, handing me a mirror. I thanked him softly and looked at myself. There was a soft black lining on my upper lid and my lips were a pale pink. Other than that I looked relatively natural. I was slowly starting to turn back into just Aspen Antaeus from the Seam in District 12. My hair was pin-straight and my nails were the soft forest green. I looked nice. Not too overdone and not like I had just been air-lifted from the arena.

"You're done. You look lovely," Cinna said.

"Thank you."

"Effie should be out there and ready to take you down to go talk with Seneca Crane."

"Awesome," I groaned.

That was not something that I wanted to do. I just wanted to go home and forget that this thing had ever happened. The only people that I wouldn't forget were Effie, Cinna, and Cato. And Haymitch, of course but he would be back in District 12 with me.

"Can I just get on the train and pretend that I didn't hear about the meeting?" I asked.

"Unfortunately not."

"Alright. Where is the meeting anyways? I take it that the meeting isn't something that he wants to be discussed out in the open or else he would have just come up here."

Cinna nodded and I had to resist falling back onto the couch. "I think you're right but I don't know where the meeting is. Only Effie does," he said.

Damn, I wished that Cinna would be able to take me. That way I would be able to say what I was really thinking about the situation. "Okay," I muttered.

"We are going to leave you with her now and we'll see you before you depart for home in a little while. Be nice and keep in mind of whose company you are in. You will be alone with him, but there are still people around. He won't hurt you," Cinna reassured me.

He was right. There was nothing that they could do to me while I was still here. "Thank you," I told my Prep Team, giving them all hugs.

They were sobbing softly and giving me more hugs that I'd ever had before. It was almost nice. At least I knew that someone really cared about me here. As awful as they could be, I knew that they cared for me. I probably wouldn't see Flavius, Venia, and Octavia again before I left so I made sure to say a nice goodbye to them. I gave Cinna a hug next despite the fact that I knew that I would see him again soon. I turned away from the small group and headed to the dining room where Effie was waiting for me.

"Alright I'm ready to go," I told Effie.

She looked me over and nodded happily. I sighed thankfully and walked over to where she was waiting. Together we headed for the elevator. "Good, you look lovely," she said.

"Thank you."

I watched as she pressed the sub-level button and I couldn't help but wonder if we were heading to the Training Room. That was the only place downstairs that we could be in private. Everything else was in the ears of the Capitol people.

"We're heading to the Control Room. That's apparently where they wanted you two to have your meeting," Effie said.

My legs buckled. They very nearly caved from underneath me. In the Capitol nothing ever good came from something with control in the title of the room. Control was the one thing that they craved. What was the room for? It sounded like a place that they could torture me in. Maybe they wanted to scare me one last time before I got to go home.

"Control Room? What's the Control Room for?" I finally asked Effie.

She turned to me in surprise and laughed like I had told her a funny joke. "Oh, it's the Control Room for the Games," she said.

My heart had sunk into my stomach. "What?" I asked weakly.

I didn't know what they wanted me in the Control Room for but it wasn't good for me. "We have to go downstairs and then walk across the Remake Center. That's where it is. Twelfth floor. The only reason that you couldn't see it from your room was because the rooms face the opposite way. I've never been inside. Honestly, you're lucky. Pretty much only Capitol officials ever see that room," she said.

I would pay for someone else to go in there for me. There was nothing that I wouldn't do to avoid having to go there. Seneca Crane had only ever frightened me. He had always been too interested in me and it made me uncomfortable.

"I'd be more than happy to let you go in my place," I told Effie in complete honesty.

She could relay to me what they wanted. I had thought that she might reprimand me but she merely laughed. "Very funny, Aspen. I'm sure it was that sense of humor that won you so many favors in the first place," she said.

I rolled my eyes. I really wasn't funny. I just told the truth and people thought that I was joking. "I suppose," I muttered.

"I know that with every passing moment you are becoming and favored Victor."

"Seriously?"

"Of course! You're actually getting close to Finnick's rate of approval when he won his Games."

Popularity didn't matter to me, I just wanted to go home. Let Finnick be loved. That was the reason that he has to be here all of the time. I wanted to live in District 12 and never leave again. "Which is a hard thing to do," I heard Finnick's voice call behind us.

"Hello, Finnick," I greeted.

"I had nearly perfect ratings at the end of my Games. Perhaps it was from my boyish charm."

He gave us a sweet grin and I scoffed. Effie melted at the sight of Finnick but my eyes narrowed. "Yes. You're adorable," I said.

"I knew I'd see you one more time before you had to leave. Where are you headed off to? The trains are the other way and it's a bit early for the Victor's to be leaving anyways," Finnick added.

Just as I was about to tell Finnick to buzz off, Effie stepped past me and into the sight line of the Victor. "Nice to see you again, Finnick," she said.

"You as well, Effie. Looking lovely as ever."

"Oh... Thank you." If Effie had less face paint I was sure that she would have been blushing. "I was taking Aspen to a meeting before she leaves in about an hour."

The curiosity in his eyes spiked. "Is that so?" Finnick asked.

"Seneca Crane wished to speak with her privately before her departure. I am bringing her to the Control Room and I'm trying to do it fast. I have a few last minute things to take care of before we can leave. I'm afraid I'm extremely behind schedule," Effie babbled.

As she ran her mouth I saw the gears in Finnick's head turning. "Well we most certainly wouldn't want to make you late to deliver Aspen safely. Of course, delivering her just makes you all the more late. We would hate to have to bring the Victor's back home late. Let me take Aspen off of your hands, Effie," he said.

I cocked my head. Why was he offering to take me? "Are you sure?" Effie asked.

"I know where the Control Room is and I can get her there quickly to let you go about your duties," Finnick said with a grin.

She looked like she might melt right there and I rolled my eyes again. Leave it to Finnick to make everyone fall apart at the seams. He knew how to work people. It was a good but dangerous quality to have. "Oh, Finnick, you are as wonderful as everyone makes you out to be. Thank you so much!" she squealed.

I wondered if they would notice if I slipped away. "My pleasure," Finnick said.

"I was worried that I may make us an hour late. Or even more! You're sure you don't mind?" she double-checked with him.

He shook his head and gave her one of his award-winning smiles. The smile that had earned him so many of his Sponsors during his Games. "Not at all. You're wasting your precious time still standing here and debating it. Go on and do what needs to be taken care of. I'll see you probably in a few weeks," he said.

I noticed the flicker of depression in his eyes. But as fast as it had come it was gone and I had to wonder if it had ever been there at all. She gave him a wide grin and nodded. "Back on business again?" she asked.

"Yes," Finnick said.

What kind of business did Finnick actually run that he was able to only visit every few weeks? I would think that he would have to live here if he would want to run a business. "My, my, this client of yours must truly enjoy you being able to make the trip here so frequently," Effie said.

"I believe they do."

"I hope they pay you well for all of your troubles."

He shook his head and I saw the devious grin rise on his lips. Maybe they paid out the ass for his services. "Oh, I don't take money for my services," he said.

I cocked my head. There was no way that he did this stuff for free. So what did he accept as a form of currency? "You do it for free?" I asked.

"Of course not. You see, I have all of the money in the world and I have everything that I could ever need back in my home. Money is cheap and easy to make. I accept secrets as a payment," he said. I nearly laughed. What a typical Finnick thing to say. "It makes things so much more interesting, don't you think? You learn so much about people that way."

His eyes briefly flickered to me. I tried to come up with a response but I drew a blank. Luckily Effie knew exactly what to say. "That's an interesting way to look at things. Secrets can be dangerous things though, be careful with whose word you trust," she said.

I nearly laughed. There was one of those rare moments when things that Effie said made sense. "Trust me. I am," Finnick said.

"I'll see you in a few weeks then, Finnick. Aspen, when you are done with the meeting come back to the District 12 penthouse. From there we will all meet up and we can get you on your way back home. Got it?" she asked.

"Got it."

"Good, I'll see you in about an hour or so," she said, before teetering off on her heels.

"See you."

We watched her walk away for a moment and when she finally stepped back into the elevator, I turned and walked next to Finnick as we walked through the sub-levels. "Let's go," Finnick said.

"You want to tell me what the hell that was about?" I snapped at Finnick. He turned to me with a smile and I immediately shut him down. "Save the bullshit. I want to know why you would offer to take me someplace that has nothing to do with you. I know it wasn't out of the goodness of your heart."

I was sick of the secrets and of people treating me like I knew nothing. I wanted to be treated like the adult that I was. "Smart girl, you're learning. No one here will do anything for you out of the goodness of their hearts. Keep that in mind," he said.

"Believe it or not, I already figured that one out."

"I wanted to warn you before you go into that meeting today."

Rudely, I snorted and rolled my eyes. There was nothing that he could warn me about. I knew that they wanted to kill me. That wasn't a surprise. But they wouldn't do that here and Finnick knew that. "What? That they aren't happy with me and I need to watch what I say in front of them?" I asked, cutting him off before he could say anything. "Yeah thanks, I knew that. I fucked up in the Games and I'll hear about it for the rest of my life."

Very childishly I kicked the wall lightly as we passed. He shook his head at me and I nearly threw something at his. I liked Finnick well enough but he was a pain in my ass. "No, Aspen. You made one hell of a mistake in the Games but I don't knock you for that," he told me.

"Really?" I asked.

I would have thought that he thought what I had done was stupid. It was. "What you did was brave. It was braver than anything that I or any of the other Victors have ever done," he said.

I stared at him. They had done brave things in the Games before. What I had done wasn't brave. Was it? "Thanks," I muttered.

"But you have to know something. I don't come to the Capitol every few weeks on my own free will. If it was up to me I would never have set foot in here to begin with."

"I know what you mean."

"Before you go into that meeting you have to know what they might have in store for you."

It was business that Finnick came here for. If he didn't want to continue with the business then why didn't he just call it quits? "Well then why do you come here? I thought you always said that it was for business. If you don't want to do business here, then quit. They can't force you to keep a business running," I said foolishly, in the back of my mind knowing that it ran deeper than just that.

We turned a corner and I watched as he hit the button to call an elevator down to us. I watched as the floors ticked on the electronic reader and I tapped my feet quickly. My patience was running thin and I wanted nothing more than to go to home and to bed. Somewhere that I could hide safely. I was sick of being in trouble constantly and wondering if someone was about to kill me. I wanted Cato to be with me. I didn't want to have to do this alone.

"I wish that it was as easy as quitting. I really do. But I have no way of walking away," he said.

The elevator doors slid open and we walked in. "Why now?" I asked.

Finnick ignored me. "Like I've said before, I'm forced to come here every month. I wish I wasn't," he said, with a sigh.

The doors behind us slid closed and I looked at him out of the corner of my eyes. He was looking at the floor like a lost puppy and when he met my eyes he looked away. "Tell me why you come here every month!" I yelled, finally losing my patience with Finnick. "You aren't making any sense."

My pleas had become desperate. He gave me a sad sigh and pulled me into a hug. I sniffed back the tears that threatened to fall from my eyes and sighed as he let go of me. "Unfortunately I can't tell you why I'm here all of the time. But I think that you might be finding out why, soon," he said.

I felt goosebumps rise on my arms. That couldn't be good. "I don't understand," I said.

"I pray that you never will. Just don't think differently of me. Or of anyone else. I know that I'm not the only one that they do it to. Just listen to me, when you go in there say nothing. Nod to them, say what you think will make them happy. Do not put them on edge, understand?" he asked.

"Of course."

"You'll be fine."

He was clearly concerned with what the Head Gamemaker and President wanted with me. The thought made me nervous. More so than I already was. "What do you mean, Finnick? Please just explain to me what's going on," I begged. I saw the pained look in his eyes. I could tell that he wanted to tell me but he was being pulled in two different directions. "I'm in the dark and I feel like I'm the only one who is that way. Do you know why they called this meeting?"

He shook his head. In the back of his mind I could tell that his thoughts were flying at a million miles per second, just like my own were. "I wish I knew, but I don't. They're good at keeping secrets. But I'm good at getting them out of people," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Seneca Crane should be dead, Aspen. He was almost killed."

My eyes bulged out of my head. Seneca had nearly been killed? Why? He had done everything that he was supposed to do. He had given them the best Games that he could. As far as I knew these Games had the highest ratings that I had ever heard of. Higher than Finnick's Games. And the Tributes this year had been some of the most popular in a long time. So why had Seneca nearly been killed? And why was it nearly? The Capitol always succeeded in killing people. So how had Seneca wormed his way out of death?

"How do you know that?" I asked Finnick.

"Secrets, dear," he said. I rolled my eyes. Of course that was why. It was how Finnick knew everything that had been happening in the Capitol, even things that he shouldn't have known. "I've been following everything having to do with you for three weeks now. I want to know what they want with you."

I wasn't sure why but I was grateful. It meant that I wasn't completely in the dark. "Thank you," I said.

"The problem here isn't that they wanted him killed. We know why they would have killed him. The problem is that he isn't dead and now he's calling a meeting with you," he said, as we stepped out of the elevator.

I debated on flinging myself over the side of the railing. It was a twelve story drop but I couldn't give the Capitol what they wanted. "But how is that a bad thing? Seneca is creepy but he doesn't scare me. Maybe he just wants to drill it into me that I'm the reason that he was nearly killed," I suggested to Finnick.

It might be the reason, but that was too innocent. No matter how much I would like this meeting to be a scare tactic, I knew that it was something more. There was a much more twisted reason that Seneca wanted me to come speak with him.

"Wishful thinking, but I'm not sure that that's the reason he's still alive. I think he made a bargain and somehow you were a part of it," Finnick said.

"What does that even mean?" I asked.

I was the reason that Seneca was alive? What did I have to do with that? "Nothing. Yet. If that's the case, write to me when you go back home. Keep me informed of what happens in there today. Do you understand?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Good girl. Keep in mind, Aspen, we're friends," Finnick said, before we stopped at a solid metal door.

My heart began to pound in my chest and I swallowed a large lump in my throat. I would be alright. Seneca couldn't do anything to me. Not after I had won the Games. "This is it?" I asked Finnick, even though I knew the answer.

"This is it."

"Thank you for taking me, even though now you've got me ten kinds of paranoid," I told Finnick.

He laughed, turning his back to me and walking away. "You're welcome. You'll be fine," he called back.

Before he could get too far away, I called out to him.

"Hey, Finnick!" I yelled out.

He turned back to me. "Yes?"

"Why do you care so much about what happens to me? I killed your Tribute. Shouldn't you hate me?" I asked the District 4 Victor.

He gave me a little grin and walked back over, laying a hand on my shoulder. "Sometimes the Tributes that we Mentor don't really seem like ours. We connect with another Tribute," he told me softly, a sweet fondness shining in his eyes.

In that moment I realized that Finnick was more than just the annoying pretty boy that I had originally thought that he was. "We connect?" I asked fondly.

"We do. They killed your family. They killed mine too. I'm willing to stand here and bet that we're about to have something else in common too. We're in this fight together. Plus, you remind me of someone who is very close to my heart," he said.

Despite everything I grinned. For a moment I thought back to the woman that owned his heart. Annie Cresta. He would be going home to her soon. I hoped that they would eventually be able to be happy with her. He deserved it, especially after they had killed his family. He deserved all of the happiness in the world, just like I did.

"I hope you can go back home to her. I know that she means the world to you," I told him earnestly.

"Thank you, Aspen."

"I promise that I'll write," I told him, making sure that I would remember my promise.

He gave me a small smile and pulled me into a hug. "Have a safe trip home," he said, as I wrapped my arms around his torso.

He was a pain in my ass but Finnick reminded me of the older brother that I never had. He pulled away and I slowly turned into the door. It slid open and I walked into the room. It was empty and I found myself shocked to see that. I would have thought that it would be heavily guarded. But there wasn't even a Peacekeeper in sight.

The room was a large circle that was lined with screens. Around the walls were individual work stations as well as in the middle of the room that was below the ramp that I was standing on. There were huge screens right in front of me and I assumed that they were the ones that showed the Gamemakers the arena. There was a table in the center of the room that I assumed would bring up holograms and directly in the center of the room was a console. The one that I assumed Seneca had watched me from during the Games.

The thought sent a shiver through my spine and I turned to the door. Why was I in here alone? That had to be against the law. I wasn't even sure that me being in here with the Head Gamemaker was really allowed. Maybe Effie was mistaken? Maybe they really didn't want to see me. I started to head to the door but a voice startled me out of my thoughts.

"Good morning, Aspen," Seneca Crane said, with a wicked grin as he walked over to me.

My hair stood on end as he walked within a few inches of me. "Good morning, Seneca," I greeted stiffly.

"It's a lovely day isn't it?"

I nearly scoffed. I hadn't been outside in days. "To be fair I haven't technically been outside in almost three weeks," I said.

"That is very true. I'll give you a hint. The birds are all out and the sun is high in the sky. Not a thing is wrong with the day. Well... There might be one or two things wrong. There's one more person in this world than there should be and I'm not dead. Care to take a guess at which one bothers me more?" he asked, with a vicious smirk.

The suicidal part of me thought about telling him that the fact that he was alive bothered me but the part that wanted to live decided that I should probably play along with his game. All I had to do was behave myself for the next twenty minutes or so. No matter how stupid I thought that it was. Whether or not I really believed he would, Seneca was perfectly capable of killing me right now.

"Considering the one more person in the world is what led to you nearly being killed, I would assume that it was the former. Of course I could be wrong," I stupidly added my last thought on.

He smirked at me. For a moment I thought that he would pull out a gun and shoot me where I stood. But that would be too easy. Instead he took a step back from me and leaned against one of the computers. "You could be, but you are right. Let's chat," he urged.

"That was kind of the whole point of me coming here, right?" I asked.

"Despite everything that happened in the arena, despite everything that you did, I am happy to see you."

"Oh... I see. You must have been very thrilled to see me make it through the wolf attack," I sneered.

"It was not what I wished for."

"No, but you sent it in there. Didn't you?"

"Do you not recall throwing a knife at me?" Seneca asked.

"Do you not recall my skills in the arena? In training? You would be dead if I'd wanted it. But you're still alive," I said.

"As are you."

My jaws set. He was not going to convince me that he had helped me. "I almost wasn't. Everything that you did to me in the arena. The mutts, the fire, the Tributes. All of them were sent to me, from you. For someone you like so much, you try very hard to kill me," I sneered.

"Notice that you are still here."

"No thanks to you. Tell me... How long after the fight with the wolf mutt did I get that medicine?" I asked.

Seneca hesitated a moment. "When you crawled back to the cave," he finally admitted.

"And you didn't feel the need to send it to me?"

"Don't you understand? I wanted to send it to you. I want to make those Games easy for you. But I couldn't. Because they would have known that I was favoring you. I had to send the mutts after you. I had to send the fire and the Tributes."

"You didn't have to send everything!"

"I knew that you would make it. I knew that Cato Hadley would find you. I knew that the moment that you were together would be the right moment for the medicine. I knew that you were stronger than those Tributes. I knew that you were fast enough to make it out of the wildfire," Seneca argued.

"I suppose I'm lucky," I sneered.

"You're alive. You should consider yourself very lucky."

"Is this all that you wanted? Because, fine. I get it. I get what you did. Thanks for kind of helping me out in the arena, you're welcome for the show, now let me go home," I snapped.

"Don't rush. Just a little longer. See that green button right there?" he asked, pointing to the main stand.

It was hard to miss. It was huge. "Yes," I said.

"Click it. I think you might like what you find."

Cautiously I walked over to it. It was just a computer but I didn't trust that Seneca hadn't done anything to it. They could do some clever shit to their computers, just like they did in the arena. It was no different. But slowly I hit the button and watched holograms of papers spread across a fake desk.

"What the hell is all of this?" I asked Seneca.

He walked up behind me and pulled two files out of the hologram. "Read," he said.

He took a step back from me but I paid no attention. The people that were in front of me were nearly like looking into a mirror. "It's my mother and father," I said breathlessly. As I flicked my finger across their faces I saw everything about them. From the moment that they were born to the moment that they died. There was even my own birth certificate and everything else about me. It was my family. "Everything about them. It's me too. Everything about me from the moment I was born. You have all of my records, video clips of me inside and outside of the arena. How do you have all of this?"

Despite the fact that I wasn't looking at Seneca, I knew that he was smirking at me. "It's impressive isn't it?" he asked.

I subconsciously nodded. I flicked my finger across the screens once more and was shocked at what I saw. It was the wolf mutt. The mutt growled loudly and charged at me. Panicking I flew back with a loud scream and fell over myself, toppling to the floor. A small laugh came from Seneca and I watched as he stepped in front of me, offering me a hand.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that. We're editing the mutts for next year and we thought that we might bring back our wolf friend since he made such a startling entrance this year. You did well against him. I knew that you would," he said.

I shoved his hand to the side and pushed myself back up. That was damned cruel but I should have seen it coming. "You're hilarious," I snarled.

"I wonder if the Tributes next year will be just as lucky."

A million different responses went flying through my head but none were acceptable for me to say. Instead I shut down the program that had my information, not wanting another surprise. My elbows hurt from bracing myself when I fell but I shook it off. I couldn't show any pain.

"Isn't it illegal for me to be in here?" I asked Seneca, not feeling like talking about the Games.

He laughed and motioned around, looking like a father that was showing off his new child. That was the way that he thought of these Games. They were his baby. "That's the benefit of being a Gamemaker. You have free reign to be in the Control Room and if no one is watching, you can bring a friend with you," he said with a wink.

Normally the comment would have made my skin crawl but I was too hung up on what he had said. "We aren't friends," I hissed.

He merely grinned like I had told him some funny joke. "I would have thought that I'd proven we are," he said.

"I'm surprised that you just called yourself a Gamemaker. Why would you demote yourself from the title of Head Gamemaker?" There was a flicker of pain that flashed through his eyes. "I would think that it is something that you're very proud of."

The air became heavy with tension. Something bad had happened in the time between the end of the Games and now. "It is something to be extremely proud of. But I can't call myself something that I am not."

"What are you talking about?"

Was he no longer the Head Gamemaker? He had amazing ratings for these Games. "After your little stunt I got myself a nice demotion. Now I'm only another Gamemaker. My place is now held by a man called Plutarch Heavensbee," he said.

His name sounded familiar. Maybe he was one of the Sponsors that I had danced with at the party. "Oh," I mumbled awkwardly.

"He seems a little too nice if you ask me, but we'll see how he does next year. I'm sure you'll get to see it up close."

That didn't sit well with me. Seneca moved forward and leaned over my to press a button on the control panel. His body was pressing me into the center console and I felt my skin light on fire. But it wasn't the kind of fire that I felt when Cato touched me. This was the kind of fire that made me want to tear my skin off. And I knew how that felt. I wanted nothing more than to sink into the floor but I gathered my strength and pushed into Seneca slightly.

"So was this all that the meeting was for? So that you could tell me that you were fired from being the Head Gamemaker because of me and now it's some guy that I don't know. Oh and so that you could try to intimidate me," I hissed.

Seneca opened his mouth to respond to me but another voice cut him off. One that sent the temperature in the room plummeting to below zero. "No, Aspen. That wasn't what this was about at all," President Snow called from the corner of the room.

My entire body froze for a few good moments. I knew that my face had gone a pasty white when I saw that Seneca was turning the same color. It was nice to know that he was just as afraid of him as I was. He stepped back from me and it was only then that I had realized that we had been completely pressed against each other. My heart was pounding in my ears and I had to stand still for a moment to calm myself down. President Snow was dressed in his usual white suit and he had his normal smart smirk on his face. He was on the other end of the room but it felt like he was holding a gun to my temple.

"President Snow," I greeted awkwardly. "I wasn't aware that you were here. I was told that this meeting would be between Seneca Crane and me."

Had I been told that President Snow would be here? I couldn't remember. His grin turned and my heart dropped into my stomach. Any nerves that I had had before were now completely frayed. "That was the way that it was supposed to proceed. But I see that Seneca only wants to beat around the bush," he said, turning an angry glare onto Seneca.

"Pardon me, sir," Seneca said.

"That is not the way that I intend for this to play out. By now I assume that you know that Seneca was going to be killed for his lack of actions in the Games at your final stand?" President Snow asked me.

"Yes," I said weakly.

"Well there is only one reason that he is standing here right now. Would you like to know what that is?" he asked.

"Not really but I'm sure that you will tell me anyways," I told President Snow honestly.

He gave me a long smirk and my skin crawled more than Seneca Crane would ever be able to make it. "That mouth will get you in trouble one day," he said.

I nearly slapped myself. I should have known not to say that. "Pardon me. I'm tired and have had a very long past month," I said as apologetically as I could.

"You are forgiven for your slip of the tongue. It's not uncommon in new Victors. But you are right. You see, Seneca had no right to be alive after the way he let you walk away," he said. Seneca blanched. "But he made a good point to me. He was the one who was watching you day in and day out. He knew your strengths and knew your weaknesses. He knew how to make you break. That's what I look for in a Head Gamemaker. But I couldn't just let him go without any reprimands."

My anger bubbled in my head and I nearly reached out to slap the President. But instead of getting physical with the man, I stupidly decided that verbal harassment was better. "Of course not, you couldn't do anything to make you look too human," I bit out, knowing that my sudden outburst would cost me.

To my surprise, the president let my comment go by unnoticed. Or, if he had cared, he had an excellent way of hiding it. "Precisely. So I let him live. But that wasn't all," he said, taking a few steps toward me.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, not understanding.

"I knew that you were a loose cannon and that you have no one to control you. Mr. Hadley is a good player to the Games, but he enables you," he said. My heart rate picked up. Leave Cato alone. He hadn't done anything. The stupid stunt at the end had been my own idea. He had tried to stop me. "Of course, I have no issue with him."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"You, on the other hand, I have an issue with," he continued.

My eyes widened. Not good. "So I've heard," I said weakly.

"You need someone to break you. And I have found the man to do it. Are you aware of what Finnick does while he is here?"

My previous conversation with Finnick came rushing back to me. He had known that nothing that would be said while I was here was good. He had said that I might understand what he did here while he was on business in the Capitol after today. It seemed that I was about to.

"He says that he can't tell me, that it could get us both in trouble," I said softly, trying to keep Finnick out of trouble.

The president nodded and took a few steps closer to me. He wasn't that much taller than me but he felt like I was midget compared to him. "And he is right," he said. At least I was able to protect Cato and Finnick. I wanted to make sure that I hadn't gotten either of the two men in trouble. "But I'll give you a little hint. It's a very people friendly job. It's one that I expect you to take on as well. Only you will have a sole, buyer, shall we say?"

My eyebrows shot to my forehead. What the hell did he mean that he wanted me to take on Finnick's job? Did he want me to take it over? That made no sense. I wasn't stupid but I still had no idea what it was that Finnick even did. Snow had said that it was a people friendly job. That sounded very Finnick oriented, the people loved him. Just like they loved me. But what was it that I would do for them? Or just the one person as Snow had said. A buyer... I was not something to be bought and traded like game.

"I'm not understanding," I told President Snow.

President Snow merely nodded at me and smiled. "I didn't expect you to," he said and I scoffed. What an asshole. "Just like the way that Finnick Odair does whatever his clients ask of him, I expect you to do whatever Seneca Crane asks of you."

That was literally useless information. I still didn't really understand what he wanted from me. The only thing that I understood was that I was supposed to be working for Seneca Crane. But it still didn't make sense to me. Why him? He had plenty of people working for him. Maybe not as many as when he was the Head Gamemaker, but he was still a Gamemaker. They had everyone working for them that they could ever need.

"You want me to be his personal assistant?" I asked stupidly.

"Not quite," Seneca said.

"I think that you can find people much better suited to that job that are trained for it. And we don't even live in same place. It would be too difficult. I mean, this is the way that you punish him? You let him have a personal assistant?" I asked President Snow rudely, letting my big mouth take over again.

He laughed at me and I felt my face heat up. I wasn't stupid but everyone was being so cryptic. "So far away from the truth, girl. Personal, yes. But you are not his assistant. I mean something different altogether when I mean that you are to do what he asks. There is to be no hesitation. You will do what he needs. You should count yourself lucky. There were many men who requested that you be added to their call list. But I insisted that you were not in that line of work. I've saved you trouble."

My mind raced as I processed what President Snow had just told me. There were so many words and none of them seemed to be linking together to form a coherent sentence. My language skills were failing me. I was to do what Seneca wanted, without hesitation. But he had said something about other men wanting me on their call list. Just men, not people. And it was personal. There was only one thing that I could think of... but there was no way. Not even the Capitol would do that.

"Wait a minute. You mean that you want me to sleep with him?" I asked, for once hoping that the president would laugh at me. "Feel free to laugh." But he stayed silent, a satisfactory smile on his face. "That's exactly what you're asking me to do."

"It's not asking, my dear."

"That's what you make Finnick do. Those business meetings that he goes to in the Capitol, that isn't what they are, are they?" I asked President Snow, who gave me a tiny nod. Everything was fitting together. This was what Finnick had been warning me about. "He's going to do this. Only with all of the women that request him."

"Smart girl."

"You're fucked if you think I'll do that," I said, ignoring my slip of the tongue and bitter laughter.

My eyes flashed over to Seneca and I saw that his eyes held a hint of guilt. "You will," President Snow said.

"I would rather die than do that. Send another mutt in, whip me to death in public, have a Peacekeeper shoot me. I don't care."

They were not taking the last thing that was mine. I wasn't losing it to the Capitol. "Oh, I think that you will. Because I won't kill you. The people would be besides themselves. But how would you feel if something came upon your family?" President Snow asked. My blood ran cold. "Katniss, Primrose and their mother? Or what about Gale Hawthorne? He has little siblings as well, doesn't he? Rory, Vick, and Posy I believe their names are."

He knew that they were the only thing that would get me to say yes. "You keep your hands off of them. They've done nothing to you," I hissed, knowing that my threat would do nothing.

President Snow smirked. How dare he involve innocent people in something that should only involve me? Why do this to me? They had done enough to ruin my life. "How correct you are. They have done nothing," President Snow said.

"So what's the point of threatening them?" I asked.

"Because to threaten you would do nothing. I know you well enough to know that you don't respond to threats to yourself well. But you do respond to others. If they are not enough, I can include Mr. Hadley's family. There are two little girls and a young boy. There are more you care for in District 12. I will kill them all. One dies for each time you say no. It won't be fast. I'll slaughter them in front of you so that they know it was you who ultimately ended their lives."

That was the horrible part. It was partially my fault. "The people -" I started.

"Will never know. This is between the three of us. In the process of ruining the Games you have forced my hand to endanger their lives. Do you want them to live?" he asked. I stood still. He knew my answer. "All you have to do is say yes. That's the only way that I can promise their safety."

My heart sank, knowing that I had no other option but to say yes. President Snow had put me in an impossible position. "And if I say no?" I asked, knowing what his answer would be.

Instead of taking another step towards me, the President backed off and hit a panel on the side of a glass computer. An image popped up of the train station in District 12 and I nearly cried out. No one was there yet, seeing that I wouldn't be arriving home until tomorrow morning, but I knew that soon everyone in the District would be there. This would be a huge deal. Decorations were up everywhere, along with a huge banner welcoming me home. I could tell that Prim had done it.

"I already told you. How confident are you that you can protect them?" President Snow asked.

Tears were filling my eyes and I had to blink them back. I wanted nothing more than to break down and cry but I was stronger than that. I would be strong. For Prim, Katniss, and Gale. For Ms. Everdeen and for Ms. Hawthorne. For Vick, Posy and Rory. For Cato. For his entire family. For myself. Seneca Crane and President Snow would not see what they were doing to me. President Snow could do whatever he wanted to me but he would do nothing to them. Not to the people that meant more to me than my own life did.

"If I say yes to this, you'll leave them alone?" I asked President Snow with a straight face.

He wouldn't know that he was killing me inside. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "You have my word that I will not touch them," President Snow said.

"Your word means nothing to me," I snarled.

"You'll just have to take it. I am an honest man, believe it or not. I won't be having you travel back and forth like I have Finnick travel," President Snow said. At least it meant that I wouldn't have to leave home. "It would look suspicious. No. You will only do your duties while you are here on your stays. And word of this will only be between the three of us. So not to ruin your reputation."

There was a very fake grin plastered on his face. I went to turn to the door but another thought held me up. Were they doing the same thing to Cato or were they letting him go? Considering the fact that I had been the only called in for a meeting I assumed that it was only me, but I couldn't just assume things.

"What about Cato? Do you have him doing this or are you making him do something even worse?" I asked bitterly.

Giving me a sickly sweet grin, President Snow leaned over and blocked the door. "Cato Hadley had no hand in the destruction you caused at the end of the Games," he said. I had only tried to save my life and the boy's that I loved. Was that such a crime? "Therefore, he gets no punishment. Perhaps only a small reprimanding."

"Okay," I said, grateful that he wasn't being given the same punishment.

"Oh, and there will be no word of this to him. To anyone. This stays in your own mind. Their safety, and his, depend on your ability to keep secrets," President Snow warned.

There went my last hope. I couldn't even tell anyone about it. I would have to tell Finnick. This wasn't a secret that I could keep. Not forever. President Snow's warning sent a shiver up my spine and I sighed heavily. I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and wake up back in District 12. I wanted this whole thing to be a nightmare. But that was exactly what it was. A never-ending nightmare. My only escape was death and I wasn't quite there yet.

"May I leave?" I asked as politely as I could.

President Snow merely gave me a small nod. "Of course," he said.

Tears were starting to build again but I refused to cry. They wouldn't see me cry. I stepped past President Snow and made it to the door, watching as they slid open. But before I could walk out, Seneca grabbed me around the arm. I ripped my arm away from him and watched as anger spread over his face. But he pushed it down quickly.

"Have a good trip home, Aspen. I'll be seeing you in a few months. Red is my favorite color by the way," Seneca said, with a sideways grin.

With a shiver of disgust, I pulled away from him and headed back to the door. I just needed to be away from here. Maybe on the moon. "Be safe on your trip home," President Snow added. I turned back to him and looked into his beady eyes. "We know that it would be a pity were something to happen to the newest Victor on the way home. It would be tragic."

There was a note of false sympathy in his voice. As I turned back again Seneca Crane caught my arm a final time. He pulled me into him and I stood in a stunned silence as he brought his mouth down and kissed me. My eyes were sprung open wide and I caught President Snow giving me a final grin before turning and leaving the Control Room. I wanted to bite Seneca's lip or sprint off, but I knew what it would result in. So I stayed completely still and waited for it to be over.

Finally he pulled away from me. "Pretend that you're enjoying it. I would hate to tell President Snow that you were a disappointment," Seneca warned.

"I wish you were dead," I snarled weakly.

"I know."

When Seneca moved in the next time I knew that it was for real. He really would go to President Snow and tell him that I was disappointing and it would get someone that I cared about killed. So I allowed him to wrap an arm around my waist. But I was still like a statue. I forced myself to pretend that it was Cato but I couldn't. I knew the monster that I was attached to. Follow the motions. So I did. Where would I have put a hand on Cato? On his waist. Bring it up to his chest. Loop it back over his neck. We stayed together for a moment as Seneca pushed me back against the control panels.

Again I forced back tears. Not only was I being forced into this, but I was in the very room that the man that I was attached at the mouth to had just spent over two weeks trying to kill me. Maybe that was the computer that had designed the first wolf mutt to set after me. Seneca gently pushed me to sit back on it and that time a tear almost did come out. Not now. I couldn't do it now. His hand briefly tugged at my shirt and I felt a terrified breath escape me before he finally broke the kiss.

"Better. You can use your fellow Victor to practice on," Seneca said.

That was the last word that I allowed him to get out. I couldn't let him say anything else to me. I couldn't hear it. So I jumped from the control panel and turned from him - ignored his last well-wishes for me - and began to walk quickly down the hall with goosebumps high on my skin. All I wanted to do was stop and cry. I wanted to fall to the ground. I wanted to die. But I couldn't. There were people all around me that were smiling and congratulating me and I forced myself to smile at them and keep walking. I had just found out what it was that Finnick was always warning me about and now, genuinely for the first time, I wished that I hadn't lived through the Games.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

My feet were carrying my blindly down the hall as my head spun. More than once I knocked into someone and had to tell them that I was just overwhelmed with being a Victor. I supposed that it was half-true. What the hell had just happened? I had basically sold the last amount of innocence I possessed to the Capitol. Even worse, that last innocence had been sold to Seneca Crane. For all intents and purposes I had become his sex slave. I was supposed to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. My mouth was burning from the kiss. Even though it wasn't by choice it felt like I was betraying Cato.

My body was completely numb as I thought about how much time I had left. Six months, maybe. After that I was sure that he would be tired of waiting. Maybe I would disappoint him. He would think that I would be some gifted girl in bed to find out that I was clumsy and unsure of myself. But I was sure that it wouldn't work. He would just wait for me to learn and get better. Just like with the kiss. I couldn't just pretend to be bad either. The thought of me being in bed with Seneca sent a shiver down my spine. Even though I wasn't in a relationship with Cato, it would be like I was being unfaithful to him.

My mind raced with thoughts of how I could buy myself out of the position that I had fallen into but I was only drawing blanks. Money would do nothing. Any other plan would get someone I loved killed. There was no solution. I had to do this to protect everyone. The doors of the elevator slid open and I was met face-to-face with Haymitch. He looked nervous and I nearly hurled. I wanted to tell him what had happened, but I couldn't. Cato was behind him and I nearly launched myself into his arms, but I couldn't do that either. They would know that something was wrong.

"Well, what was it about?" Haymitch asked.

"I don't know," I muttered.

"What did he say?"

"I don't know."

"Is everything okay?"

"No."

"Why are you being so quiet? Did he do anything to you?" Haymitch asked, as we retired into the living room.

All I knew was that I had to react a little bit better. I knew that Haymitch would be able to figure it out if I didn't force myself to stop thinking about it. Haymitch's questions sent thoughts soaring through my mind. I hadn't thought that the men would be that concerned with what had been said in the meeting. Cato stood in the back of the room with a worried look on his face. Guilt flashed on my face and I turned away from him before he could tell that something was wrong. I didn't want to tell him what had just happened.

"He did nothing. It was fine. All he wanted to do was give me a little scare," I lied quickly, turning out to the windows. "Oh, and he told me that he was no longer the Head Gamemaker. It's some guy named Pluto or something."

Haymitch blew out a puff of air and pushed his hair off of his face. "Plutarch," Haymitch said. I absentmindedly nodded.

"Yeah," I muttered.

"That's his name. We were actually friends for a little while," he continued lowly.

I whipped back around to Haymitch. He had been friends with the Head Gamemaker? But Haymitch hated everything to do with the Games. This was wrong, something wasn't right here. "What?" I asked dumbly.

"I can't believe that he took over the position of the Head Gamemaker. I thought that he hated the Games," my Mentor said lowly, clearly as confused as I was.

Clearly Haymitch didn't know his friends as well as he thought he did. But then again, most people weren't exactly what they claimed to be. "Evidently not. Doesn't matter," I snapped as I turned back to my group and walked up to them. "Once I'm out of this place I intend to never think about this fucking place again."

My meeting with Seneca Crane and President Snow had done nothing for my poor attitude towards anything to do with the Capitol. Thinking again about everything that had happened to me over the past few minutes, I pressed a hand against my mouth and wiped it off. Thankfully my motion went unnoticed. Cato moved towards me and I had to turn away from him for a moment. He had the ability to make me tell him the truth, even without saying anything. Once I was sure that my face betrayed no emotion I turned back to Cato and gave him a weak smile.

"Are you alright?" Cato asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly not believing that my meeting with Seneca had been that innocent.

"Ready to go home," I said.

"All he wanted was to threaten you?"

"Yeah. Mad about my stunt with the knives."

"It wasn't just you."

"No but I was the one that came up with the idea. They're just angry with me because I managed to make them look like a fool," I said irritably.

Cato brushed my hair off of my forehead and pressed a small kiss there. I smiled weakly at him. "Are you sure you're okay?" Cato asked curiously.

"Cato... I'm fine. I just want to go home," I said seriously. "I want to forget about the Games and the Capitol."

"That's a sweet sentiment, sweetheart," Brutus snapped.

Everyone turned back to look at him. "What, Brutus?" I hissed irritably.

"When you volunteered for the little girl I would have thought that you knew what was going to happen to you. You were either going to die in the arena or you would become a Victor. And assuming that you won, which you did, you knew that they were never going to leave you alone. The Games don't end when you step out of that arena," the Victor stated, walking slowly towards me.

"I know that."

"They follow you for the rest of your life. But there is one way to end the Games," he said.

Sickly I swallowed a lump in my throat. That was one way to get out of everything, I supposed. It was easy to get what Brutus was hinting at. He was trying to tell me that killing myself was the only escape that I really had from this place. And he wasn't wrong. It would have been an easy escape. I steeled my nerves and stood straighter, ready to get back at Brutus. But right when I opened my mouth I noticed that Cato was seething behind the older man.

"Brutus, get the hell away from her," Cato growled.

Faster than I would have thought possible, Brutus whipped back to Cato. Nerves were bundling in my stomach. The two powerful men were having a little stand-off and I knew that it wouldn't end well. "Oh, we're growing a backbone are we?" Brutus asked.

"Brutus," Enobaria warned.

"What happened to the little Tribute who came to me for everything? The one who was always so angry that a little girl beat him," Brutus hissed at his former Tribute.

"Brutus," Enobaria tried again.

"Is that why you pretend to love her?" Brutus asked.

"Drop it!" Enobaria seethed.

I had to admit that his comment hurt a little bit. "So it makes you look less weak for losing to her? Maybe you never even loved her. Maybe you just wanted to look stronger. You didn't want to risk losing to her. Coward," Brutus sneered slowly.

Even though I should have seen it coming, it still shocked me when Cato lunged forward and caught Brutus by the top of his shirt. He forced the older man back into the wall and I gasped when he punched Brutus in the face. But Brutus didn't miss a beat. He still was a Victor. He immediately retaliated and swung at Cato, narrowly missing. Maybe it was the fact that Brutus was out of practice, but Cato had the upper hand in the fight and I saw the pain in Brutus's eyes. Despite the fact that I loved seeing the Victor in a weak state, I knew that something had to be done before Cato seriously hurt Brutus.

"Cato, stop!" I yelled.

He stopped hitting the older Victor, but he didn't back off. Cato leaned over his former Mentor. "Fuck you. I love her," Cato snarled.

"Do you now?"

"Of course. That's what makes me strong. I have someone here that cares for me," Cato told Brutus. I felt my face heat up. It was the wrong time to get girly, but it was nice to hear him say those things. "What do you have? Nothing."

"The knowledge that I didn't get myself into trouble during my Games," Brutus said, his gaze flickering to me for a moment.

Cato missed it but I didn't. My face drained of color. Did Brutus know? "The only reason that you act like this is because you're lonely. You know that no one gives a damn whether or not you die so you take it out on those who have something," Cato hissed.

If Cato's words had affected Brutus he did a damn good job at hiding it. Instead of getting angry, he merely smirked and leaned into Cato. "I say these things because I saw how determined you were to kill her," he snapped at Cato before turning his gaze to me. My stomach roiled for a moment at his stare but I forced myself to keep my ground. "Did he ever tell you that he asked me what plants and fruits were poisonous? He wanted to befriend you and kill you. Cowardly."

For a moment I felt a shooting pang through my heart. Cato had wanted to poison me? I looked over at the two men and I saw the reflection of Cato's face in Brutus's eyes. "Did you?" I asked curiously.

Cato looked hurt, like he didn't believe that he had ever said something like that. "Yes. I'm sorry," he said.

I shook my head and glared at Brutus. I didn't care. He was only saying it to rip Cato and I apart. "I don't care that he ever planned to do anything. He wanted to kill me. You don't think that I didn't know that? That's what I know and I don't care. He never went through with it. That's all that matters to me," I said.

"Then you're just as pathetic," Brutus said.

"He should do it, you know. He should kill you. No one would care," I hissed.

The air in the room was tense as the three of us stared at each other, no one really knowing where to go next. Cato still looked like he might rip Brutus's head off. Before anyone could get another word into the fight, Enobaria stepped forward and put her hand on Cato's shoulder, giving him a small tug.

"Get off of him, Cato," she said, but Cato continued to hang onto him. "You're right, no one that matters likes him. But the Capitol does. And if you kill him the only thing that will happen is they will take it out on you. Let him go. He isn't worth it."

We all watched as her words really sunk in. He eventually let the man go and I watched as the two stared at each other for a moment. Cato finally backed off of the older man and walked over to me, Enobaria following. Brutus took a moment before he straightened up and approached me. Cato began to approach the man again but I pushed him back. There was no need for another fight. Not when we were so close to being back home.

"Watch your back out there. They might like you, but I don't. One of these days I'll be sure that you never take another breath," Brutus warned me.

"I'll have an arrow through your throat before you make a move," I sneered.

"We'll see. Have a safe trip home, kiddo," he snapped at me before stalking off.

The room was silent for a moment before Haymitch moved into the center of the group. "He'll be on the train ride home. I doubt that he'll interact with the rest of us but do you two think that you can make it the rest of the way without killing each other?" Haymitch asked Cato and I angrily.

We both merely stared harshly at the ground. "I'll be nice if he will," I growled.

"I intend to deliver two Victors back to their homes. And besides that, I think that we need another three Victors with them."

I opened my mouth to argue with him that Brutus's words had been the reason for the fight and that it wasn't my fault but Effie's loud laugh filled the air before I got the chance. "Well children, that was exciting!" she chirped.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. Very exciting," I muttered.

"It's time to go. Cato and Aspen, please go get your things and meet us back here. The train is downstairs and we need to get a move on if we want to have the both of you home when we had planned," she informed us.

We both stood awkwardly in the center of the living room for a moment as Effie watched us expectantly. I was pretty confident that she had forgotten the fact that we had nothing with us. Everything that we had been using while we were here had been supplied by the Capitol. The only thing that either one of us had brought was our tokens.

"Uh, Effie, you do realize that we came here with nothing, right? We were kind of ripped from our homes with nothing more than a three minute goodbye. We have nothing," I said angrily.

Everything that meant anything to me was hundreds of miles away in District 12. Cato must have felt the same way, only his things were in District 2. "Oh, well wonderful! Everyone ready to head out?" Effie asked in her usual chipper manner.

Without answering, Enobaria left the room, more than likely to go find whatever hole Brutus had slunk into. Haymitch scoffed and walked away, stopping in front of the elevator. "Absolutely," Cato said.

This was it. I was going home. I hadn't died here. Everything had changed but I was still alive. I would see the people that meant the most to me. "You have no idea," I said softly.

As we walked over to the elevator I took one last look at the penthouse. I would be back here in about six months but I was hoping that those six months would be like an eternity. I didn't want to be the person that had to take care of Seneca Crane's needs. I could get used to being a Mentor but I didn't want to face the families of the children that I had killed. It was bad enough that later today I would be forced to meet Clove's family. And though I hadn't killed her, I was the reason that she was dead.

"I don't know, there might be a few things that I miss about here," Cato said with a small grin.

I thought back to my brief time in the Capitol and tried to remember things that I had actually enjoyed. There had been the showers. Unlike in District 12, the water was actually warm and these got you clean. Soaking in a tub of your own filth wasn't exactly practical. "The showers. Definitely the food," I added on, knowing that back in District 12 my friends were probably starving. But with me being the Victor, District 12 would be graced with food all year long. "Oh and the bed. You have no idea how uncomfortable the beds back in District 12 are. It's like sleeping on a rock. The arena ground was comfortable compared to them."

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that Haymitch was giving me a fond smile. Maybe he had felt this way when he was headed home. "Well in Victor's Village it's like living in the Capitol full-time. Just less annoying," he said.

I laughed slightly at the put-out look on Effie's face. "I couldn't see how it could be more annoying," I said honestly.

"The beds are comfortable. You have all of the food you want and more. Oh, and we have actual showers. That's one thing I certainly don't miss about my childhood home. Plus all of the liquor you could ever want," Haymitch added with a dreamy sigh.

I laughed loudly and noticed that Cato had a bright smile on his face. "Now that I could get used to," he said.

Both Haymitch and I turned to him in shock. District 2 had all of those things, didn't they? "Don't you have those things?" I asked Cato.

"What? Even though the Capitol loves us, we still are one of the Districts," Cato said.

"Just wait until you see the Seam," I said.

"The what?"

"The poorest sector of District 12."

"Isn't the whole District poor?"

"Exactly."

"If it means something to you, I'm excited to see it." Glancing up at Cato, I smiled. "But I was thinking something a little materialistic," he said, with a small grin.

My heart soared at his confession and I smiled. He grabbed my hand and I nearly laughed at how it completely engulfed my own. It just showed how much bigger he was than me. "You two are disgusting," Haymitch sighed as he hit the button to call the elevator.

I laughed and shook my head, turning to face my former Mentor. "Thanks, Haymitch," I said.

"There are reporters standing all around the train station. Ignore them. Say nothing to anyone until you are back on the train. Aspen," he added as a last thought.

I sighed loudly and smacked Cato as he laughed at me. "Oh, come on! Why do I always get the extra instructions?" I asked, scoffing when Haymitch gave me his look.

The look that said 'I'm right and don't argue with me.' "Do you not recall your first walk up?" Haymitch asked.

"With the cute little kid that made the Capitol melt?"

"When I told you not to speak. And how about the little outburst?"

"No one even noticed," I argued, remembering the cameraman talking about Gale.

"Just do what I say," Haymitch groaned.

I rolled my eyes but nodded anyways. I might as well agree since we weren't going anywhere until I did. "I get it. Say nothing and smile. Pretend like you're the good little robot that everyone wants you to be. Is there anything that I'm missing?" I asked sarcastically.

Haymitch sealed his mouth and I noticed that even Effie seemed to have nothing else to say. But I should have known that it wasn't over yet. "The ability to try and be charming?" Cato asked.

I slapped him again. Maybe he really wasn't on my side. "What was that for?" I asked sharply.

"Come on, you're about as charming as a cactus," he said.

Again I let out a little puff of air. I really wasn't that bad. Everyone else was just too happy. There was no way that I was that bad. I know that I didn't always have the best attitude but it wasn't that poor. Brutus and Enobaria appeared back from wherever they had gone and I rolled my eyes. Enobaria was nice enough but there was nothing that I had to say to Brutus. Cutting him off from my line of sight, Cinna stepped in front of me and I smiled at the man.

"Well, this is goodbye for now. I'll miss you, Aspen. You were the best Tribute that I could have asked for. And I'm proud to call you my friend. I'll see you in a few months," Cinna said.

Cinna was almost like the father that I had never had and I knew that I would miss him. "Goodbye, Cinna. I'll really miss having you around. You might be the one person that made it worth me coming here," I said, giving him a tight hug.

Cato scoffed from behind me and I turned back to him with a glare. "Thanks," Cato said.

"Don't you scoff. You tried to kill me," I said.

"But you're still alive," Cato said.

"That literally doesn't make it any better," I said, before turning to my Prep Team. "And you all too. Bye guys, thanks for putting up with my rotten attitude," I told them, earning sweet laughs.

They all gave me a hug, wishing me luck back home and telling me that they would miss me. There were lots of other words but they started to run together. Apparently I was a wonderful Tribute and with the new home I would be able to keep up my appearance of looking like a human being. My teeth ground together but I managed to not say anything else nasty. It would be good to leave here on nice terms with everyone, save Seneca Crane and President Snow.

We hopped into the elevator and I waved a final goodbye to my team before the doors shut. We were all whisked quickly downstairs and I watched as the doors slid open. Unlike when we had first been brought here, the cameras were everywhere. Even inside the building. They immediately blinded me and I let Haymitch guide me through the crowd. They were shouting both Cato and I's name but no other words stood out. Once we were finally out in the open I looked ahead and smiled when I saw the train. It looked exactly the same, but instead of leading me to my death, this time it was taking me home.

I sped up to reach the train as fast as possible but a small figure jumped out of the crowd and began to run over to me. "Hi, Aspen! Aspen!" the boy called.

I stopped as he ran in front of me. It was Gale, the little boy that had given me a rose when I had first gotten to the Capitol. I smiled at the little boy and bent down to his height. "Hello," I greeted.

"Do you remember me? I was the boy that you said had the same name as your best friend. I told everyone that they should Sponsor you," he told me excitedly.

I gave a small smile. "Of course. Gale. It's good to see you again," I said.

"I watched you in the Games. You were so awesome! The way that you drowned that guy or how you killed the wolf mutt! And then at the end when you got the girl! It was all so cool," he said in a rush.

My previous jolly spirit had dwindled down to almost nothing and I felt a wave of nausea hit me. The little boy couldn't have been older than ten. I couldn't believe that he said things like that. Our ten-year-old kids in District 12 were terrified of the Games. This little kind thought that everything that I had done was cool? It was awful. I was a monster that had killed people just because I wanted to live. I stood up quickly, nearly falling over at the sudden movement. I noticed that Haymitch had an arm on me.

"Uh, thank you," I told Gale, not knowing what else to say.

I felt Haymitch's arm wrap around me and I leaned onto him slightly. He was trying to pull me away from the kid but I felt like I was cemented to where I stood. "How did you do it?" Gale asked.

I made a little noise of confusion. "What?" I asked weakly.

He clearly couldn't tell that he was getting to me and I had no idea what to say. "I mean when you saw them dying, how did you know that you shouldn't let up on them? How did you know that you were killing them? What did it feel like when you killed the first girl in the Bloodbath? You looked so freaked out but then you killed the other guy! I was shocked that you had killed someone so fast," he said quickly.

My heart was pounding in my head and I could practically feel my blood pumping through my veins. All I could see was the blood pouring from their wounds and feel the boy from District 6's eyes breaking under my fingers. My breakfast was about to everywhere. I wasn't sure what was happening to me but I knew that it would happen at some point. I had seen it happen to Victors before and it was happening to me now. I just had to get out of here.

"We should leave. Thanks, kid," Haymitch said before knocking Gale out of the way. We were trying to get to the train but reporters were blocking the way. "Get out of our way, we have a schedule to keep. No more damn questions! I have a Victor to get back to her family."

"Haymitch," I said weakly.

"Keep it together for one more minute, we're almost there," Haymitch said.

There was no way that I wasn't going to throw up or pass out. Something miserable was about to happen. What was even happening to me? I couldn't tell. I nodded at Haymitch, my breathing beginning to shorten. My vision was fading in and out but I knew that by the muffle of the crowd we were on the train. I felt myself being thrown into a soft chair and I opened my eyes. Haymitch was standing in front of me with everyone else gathered around.

"Aspen, look at me. Calm down," Haymitch said softly.

My heart continued to pump rapidly and my breathing came in short gasps. I tried to keep calm but the panic was rising fast. "What the hell was that? Why wouldn't he stop talking?" I asked.

"Hey, look at me. You're fine," Cato said.

"I thought that he was a good kid," I said mostly to myself. I must have looked insane but everything in my brain felt like it was shutting down. "What the hell is this? Haymitch, I can't breathe."

"You have to, Aspen. Take slow and deep breaths," Haymitch said.

"What's happening to me?" I asked my Mentor, fighting back tears.

Though my vision was blurred with tears, I could barely see the figures of everyone in front of me. Haymitch was leaned in front of me and Cato was behind him. Off to my side was Brutus, who was staring at me, clearly enjoying the show. All I could think about was everything that had happened. The Games, the upcoming Victory Tour, and my eventual meeting with Seneca Crane. How would I make it through that? How would I do it without breaking down? Why was all of this happening to me?

"Oh, good, I was waiting for this to happen," Brutus chirped.

"Get out, Brutus," Haymitch snarled.

"I thought that she had already freaked out though. Damn, did I miss the first one?" Brutus asked.

"Get out!" Haymitch shouted.

At least he was trying to keep Brutus away from me. That would only make things harder on me. As I breathed heavily and panic set into my veins Brutus rolled his eyes and moved over towards me. He leaned in front of me and grabbed my arms. I tried to wrench away from him but he had a steel grip on me.

"Look, girl, you have to get it together," Brutus said.

"Leave me alone," I said desperately.

"They'll tear you apart if they see that the Games affected you like -"

"It's not the Games!"

It was so much more than the Games. It was this place and everyone in it. People just like Brutus. People who were always touching me without my consent. He wasn't going to touch me. He had no damn right to touch me. Not after everything that he had put me through. Without thinking, I reached out and slapped him roughly across the face.

"Get the hell away from me!" I screamed.

Everyone kept touching me. They were all trying to grab me and keep me rooted in my place. I jumped back off of the couch and nearly fell over myself. As I ran to get away from the group in front of me Cato grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. A loud scream was echoing through the train and I had a feeling that it might have been me. I was brought back to the Tribute in training who had thrown me to the floor and warned me that he would kill me and my eyes went wide.

"Aspen, calm down," Cato warned.

"Let go!"

"Chill out, come on."

"Get off of me!"

"Damn it. What do we do?" Cato asked Haymitch as I struggled to get away from him.

"Snap her out of it. She's got no idea who we are," Haymitch said.

"Aspen, stop! We are your friends. We aren't here to hurt you! You know us. You're on the way back home! We're on the train!" Cato yelled.

"Liar!"

"Come on, I love you. Stop," Cato said desperately.

They were lying. They were trying to take me back into the arena. All of this. Everything with Seneca Crane and beforehand hadn't really happened. I had never really left. I was still in the arena right now. They had made me think that Cato had fallen in love with me and that we had won. But it wasn't real. I was still there and they were getting ready to admit to me that it was fake. Cato had played me the entire time, just the way that he had said that he would. Maybe I was still under the influence of the Tracker Jackers.

"Liar! Get off of me! I want to go home!" I screamed loudly, thrashing against him.

My struggles did nothing. Cato was still stronger than me and he wasn't about ready to let me go. "Aspen, stop!" Cato yelled loudly.

It did nothing. I had to get away. It didn't work well. Cato yelled for me to stop again before rearing his arm back and slapping me roughly across the cheek. Suddenly my head spun and I was knocked backwards. That was definitely harder than I was expecting. The blurry movements stopped after a moment and my vision went back to normal while the room was plunged into silence. I stared at Cato, who stared back at me in shock. What the hell was that? Damn, he hit hard. I felt bad for anyone that he had hit in the arena or in training.

"I'm sorry," Cato said softly.

He placed an arm around me and pulled me into him. The silence was interrupted by Brutus's loud laugh and I turned back to look at him. "Damn, boy. That's how you grow a backbone. Slap the shit out of her until she stops," Brutus said. I opened my mouth to yell at him. "Shut it, girl. I tried to help you but you didn't listen. You can't just freak out at a mention of the Games like that."

"It wasn't at the Games," I said.

"So what was it?" Brutus asked.

I stayed silent, knowing that I couldn't admit the truth. "Nothing," I whispered. "I don't know."

"Even when you get to District 2 in a few hours, that's what they are going to be talking about. The Games. They'll laugh at you if you do that out there," Brutus said.

I nodded. I hated to admit that he was right, but he was. They would think that I was a blubbering fool. "I know," I said.

Even though Brutus was right my anger was still sky high. I couldn't believe that after my little freak-out he was still treating me like the utter trash that he thought that I was. "You're alright," Cato said.

But I ignored him and looked at Brutus. "Do you think that I meant to freak out like that?" I hissed.

He arched an eyebrow. "No one means to," he said.

"I don't know what came over me. The little kid just started talking and I didn't know what came over me. I didn't think that something like that would happen. I thought that it was only the nightmares that would get to me."

"It's everything. You have to be prepared for anything," Haymitch said.

"I need to get out of here for a little while," I said softly, heading to the door out of the living room. "I'll be in the back car if anyone needs me."

No one said anything as the door hissed closed behind me and I sighed. I couldn't believe that I had already had a panic attack. It was common knowledge that they would happen to Victors but I had thought that it would be a long time before I would have one. I had thought that it would start with just dreams. That had been worse than I had thought that it would be. But I couldn't be surprised. I'd been through hell in the arena and now I was going through hell with Seneca Crane and President Snow.

On shaky knees I walked down the hallway and saw the room that had once been mine. The one that had been Peeta's across the hall. My heart gave a small pang and I walked past the doors, heading into the final car. The door hissed open and I stepped through. It wasn't much. Only a half circle room. The entire back of the train was a large window with a couch lining it. I sat down on the couch and watched the Capitol disappear from view. Shrinking down into the seat, I closed my eyes and imagined how close to home I really was.

As we exited the tunnel and the large dam that separated the Districts from the Capitol blocked it from view I actually smiled. And I took in a deep breath. It was the first free breath that I'd taken since the Reaping. Interrupting me from my thoughts, I heard the doors to the back car open and I sat up. Unsurprisingly Cato walked into the car and I watched as the doors slid closed behind him. Thankfully he was by himself. He sat down next to me and I sighed deeply. The two of us stared at each other for a moment and I gave Cato a weak smile.

"How are you feeling?" he asked guiltily.

He felt bad for the slap so I grabbed his hand and shook my head. I could have either hurt someone else or myself had I continued the way that I was acting. "Don't feel bad about the slap. It hurt but I needed it. Thank you," I said.

"Don't thank me for hurting you," Cato said.

"I needed it, Cato."

"Don't ever thank me for hurting you."

"It's okay. It was the one way to get me back to normal."

"How are you feeling?" Cato asked.

"I freaked out and thought that I might die right here on the train back home. How do you think that I'm doing?" I asked, with a half-laugh and half-scoff.

He nodded at me and sighed as he stood from the couch. I stood with him and leaned back against the glass. We had been driving through nothing but woods but I knew that we were getting close to District 2. Or maybe not. I wasn't quite sure how far away we were from District 2. The past few minutes I had seen breaks in the woods and I knew that we had already been traveling for about two hours. We had to at least be getting close to District 1.

"Point taken," Cato said.

"How far away are we from District 2?" I asked.

"Another two or three hours," he said.

"Good."

"Good?"

Smiling at him, I pulled Cato onto the couch with me. "I want you to stay with me," I said.

"I am with you. Always," Cato said.

He leaned over and kissed me. For a moment we stayed together and I was almost reminded of my time with Seneca Crane. It made me cringe but I forced myself to remember that it was Cato. It was the man that I loved. So I let him push me back onto the couch and hover over me. He eventually rolled over me and flopped behind me. I laughed as he threw an arm over my shoulder and let it linger on my hip. The bone was still sticking out from the lack of food in the arena. But Cato ran a hand over me without letting it slip that it bothered him.

"These are the first truly free breaths that I've taken since the Reaping," I said.

"You're free now. We both are."

"You get to go home. Not that you ever doubted it."

"I did."

My eyebrows rose. "When was that?" I asked.

Cato's hand trailed up my stomach slightly. "When I fell in love with a bratty girl from District 12," Cato said.

We both laughed as I reached back and slapped him over the head. He grinned and pressed his mouth into my neck. It sent shivers over my spine. But these were the good kinds. Not the kinds that Seneca Crane gave me. He pressed a few kisses against the back of my neck before releasing me, keeping his hands on my hips. It was sweet the way that he held me. Like there was nothing that would pry me away from him. If only he knew... We were silent for a moment longer but I knew that Cato wouldn't be able to hold it in much longer.

"What happened in that meeting with Seneca Crane?" Cato asked. I almost laughed. I knew that he would eventually ask. "You've been acting strange since you got back from it. What did they say to you?"

He gave me a long look and I smiled at him. I couldn't tell him the truth. I would have to lie to him and hope that he bought it. "I knew that you sucked at listening but I didn't know that you were that bad. Maybe you just need to get your ears checked?" I joked.

His face stayed stone cold. I had thought that humor might work. It normally did. "Tell me," Cato snapped.

"I already told you what they said," I tried, hoping that he would drop the issue.

Cato shook his head. I had known that it wasn't going to work but it was worth a shot. "No, you told us what you wanted us to think they said to you," he said, pushing me back against the couch.

My heart skipped a beat as his hands raised to caress the side of my face. It was unlike Cato, but then again his entire demeanor was unlike Cato. Maybe this really was the man that he was meant to be. Not the monster that they had created.

"I told you what they told me," I said.

"What did they really say to you?" he asked softly.

Guilt flooded me and I debated on telling Cato the truth. But there were cameras all over these trains. President Snow would know immediately and he would be sure to kill everyone that meant anything to me, and more than likely anyone that meant anything to Cato too. He had told me that he would. It broke my heart. That wouldn't even be it. They would do something to Cato to make him regret ever asking me. He would do something to all of District 12. I wanted nothing more than to admit to him everything that they had told me but I couldn't. I had to protect him.

"They just wanted to scare me. They wanted me to know that I was going to pay for what I did in the arena," I explained weakly to him.

The anger flashed through Cato faster than I had expected. He pulled his hands back and slammed them against the couch, keeping my head in between his fists. "Do not lie to me," he snarled.

Despite having been in much scarier situations I squeaked in fear at his sudden outburst and sank into the couch. His chest was flat against my own and I shook slightly. Though I had seen Cato angry before I had never seen him so angry at me. With the exception of the Tracker Jackers, but I had been so out of it that I had barely noticed how angry he was. My heart was beating rapidly as fury radiated through him. When I realized that he wouldn't move until I gave him an answer tears began to rise in my eyes. I couldn't tell him. It would either crush him or it would kill him.

"I - I can't tell you," I said softly.

"Why not?"

"I just can't."

"Let me help you with it," Cato said.

"You can't help me with this," I whispered.

"Let me try."

But I shook my head and Cato pulled away from me. He headed to the door and panic began to rise in me. He couldn't leave. Not when this hadn't been my fault. "Cato, wait!" I yelled, grabbing his arm and pulling him back to me.

"Tell me the truth," he snapped.

"They'll kill you if I tell you what they told me," I said desperately.

His eyes flashed. "Aspen..." he said softly.

"It isn't dangerous. I promise, I'm fine. They just want me to know how serious they are about what I did. Please don't worry about it. It might have been nothing. I think that it was just a scare tactic," I said, knowing that they were being completely truthful about it.

"Are you sure?" Cato asked.

"Yes. Or maybe they knew that this would happen. You would fight me on wanting to know what happened and it would tear us apart," I admitted, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall.

He stared at me for a moment and I watched as the anger dissipated from his eyes. It was almost heartbreaking, the way that he was looking at me. He knew how much this hurt me. He knew that this was killing me. And it was. The knowledge that I would only be my own for so much longer before I belonged to Seneca Crane. But there was nothing that he could do for me other than to offer his comfort. He couldn't even fully do that. He didn't even know what it was for.

"Come here," Cato said and I fell into his arms. He held me for a moment before pushing me back and staring me in the eyes. "It doesn't matter what they try to do to us. I think we survived the worst thing that they could have done to us. From here on out, it's easy. As long as we stick together."

But it was wrong. Everything was wrong. I knew that he was trying to make things seem better but it meant nothing for now. I scoffed at him and shook my head. We wouldn't be together. Not really. Not now and not ever. After this we would really only see each other for a few weeks every year. And maybe not even every year. I would be in the Capitol every year with Haymitch, but District 2 had plenty of Victors. Cato wouldn't be summoned every year. I would.

"You say as we head to two totally different Districts," I finally told him.

Once more he grabbed me and pulled me into him. "That doesn't matter. We'll write and we'll see each other in a few months," he said.

I nodded. I didn't really believe him but that gave me no right to destroy his hoped. "Come with me," I said.

"Where are we going?"

"My room."

"I like the sound of that," Cato said.

Turning back I saw that he was waggling his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes and tugged him down the hallway. There was some chatter in the main living room and I walked past them. I would be on the train for another day and I wasn't really in the mood to see them right now. Right now I just wanted to be with Cato. He laughed at me as we slipped into my bedroom. Effie would know that we were in here when she couldn't find us anywhere else.

Cato walked over to the bed with me. I plopped down and Cato launched himself over me, making me giggle. "I can't believe that I still won't be back until tomorrow," I groaned.

"Tomorrow morning," Cato said.

"Still... At least you get to go back tonight."

"Who's going to keep you company tonight?"

My mind flashed to Seneca Crane and I nervously smiled. "I'll find someone," I teased.

"No one will be as good as me," Cato said cockily.

"I'm sure," I said, giggling softly.

Cato pushed me back into the sheets and I grinned as his hands traveled up over my hips and flitted to around my back. He grabbed me tightly and pressed a lingering kiss against my mouth. I smiled and hooked my arms around the back of his neck. The kiss became heated as Cato bunched up my shirt and I tilted my head back. My mouth gently opened and I noticed that he was very slow and deliberate with his movements. It took me a moment to realize that he was trying not to push me.

Breaking apart for a moment, I smiled at him. "Look at that. You do have some restraint," I teased.

"Don't bet on it. It's very hard."

"You're a pig."

"It was a compliment to you," he said, pushing my hair back off of my forehead.

"I'm not that pretty."

"You're beautiful," he muttered, against my neck.

Laughing softly again, Cato grabbed me and pulled me up to the top of the bed. I squeaked out a laugh as Cato pressed a lingering kiss against my mouth. Our bodies wound together as a few articles of clothing became misplaced. It wasn't long before our shirts ended up on other ends of the room and Cato's pants somehow managed to squirm off. But I knew that I wasn't ready yet and so did he. So he eventually just settled for keeping his hands on my face and keeping us pressed together.

But eventually I yawned and Cato smiled at me. Instead of leaving to let me sleep, he threw the blankets over me, laid on his back, and let me sleep against him. His arm wound protectively around my waist and I gently splayed my hand over his chest. He pressed a soft kiss against my forehead and I rolled into him a little more, pressing a kiss against his chest. Even though I was looking at his stomach I knew that he was smiling. It didn't take me too long to fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

Surprisingly enough I didn't have any nightmares. When Cato gently shook me awake I glanced up and saw that he was wearing a bright smile. "Take a look. We're here. This is my home," he said fondly.

He was looking out the window. I turned to look out the window too. He was right. We were passing over District 2. In a few minutes we would be pulling into the station. It was exactly like I had expected. Everything was stone and there were fire pyres all over the place. Large two's were stamped on every building and I could see the huge Victor's Village that stood proud in the front of the District. It was nothing like our decrepit one. Just behind it was a huge beige building with large lettering, reading Academy. That was where Cato had trained for the last month.

There was a new brightness in his eyes. It was heartwarming to see. "Cato?" I called softly.

"Home," was all that he could get out.

Even from here I could see that he was getting choked up by looking at his old home. I sat up on my knees and smiled as his eyes scanned over the District. He pulled me into his side as the train began to slow. We would be there within minutes. I leaned over and pressed a kiss against Cato's shoulder and his grip on me tightened.

"Welcome home," I said.

"Being there... It was like being dead. Going back home I would have felt dead anyways. I was as good as dead. Sure I would bring honor to my District but it wasn't worth it. None of it was worth it."

"You're back home. It's over."

"You want to know why I really love you?" Cato asked.

My stomach flipped a little bit and I nodded at him. "Yeah."

"Because for the first time in a long time I don't feel dead. I didn't feel like a Tribute when I was around you. I didn't feel like a future Victor. I still don't. I just feel like Cato Hadley. And that's not something that I've felt for a long time," Cato said.

Slowly I leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss against his mouth. "I understand. For a long time I was just the girl who lost her parents to the Games. But now I'm not. I'm not even a Victor. I'm Aspen Antaeus. I want to just be her," I said.

"You are. And you're more. See that big white building back there?" Cato asked.

"Yeah," I said.

It had no name but I was sure that it was something important. "My home is right behind it. Well, I guess my old home is right behind it," Cato said.

"One day I would like to see it," I said.

"I'll bring you there one day. Clove lived a few streets down from me."

My breath hitched in my throat and I sighed. Part of me wanted to say that I was sorry but I really wasn't. She had brought up Rue, she had said awful things about Cato to me, and she had attempted to kill me. But I would have to put that aside. I would have to meet her family soon. It was part of being a Victor. Offer your condolences to the families of the fallen Tributes. The door to my bedroom slid open and a bright-eyed Effie stepped into the room.

"We're here!" she announced. I rolled my eyes. That much we had figured. "Come on, kids. Let's go say hello to the residents of District 2! And... get dressed."

She was eyeing the way that we were slightly disrobed. I chuckled and got up, changing back into my clothes. "Sorry, Effie," I muttered.

"Hurry now. Cato, are you ready to go back home and see your family again?" she asked, as we walked out of the car.

As we walked down the hallway back into the main car I listened outside. Shouts were heard all throughout the station that I assumed we had just pulled into and I took a breath. We were actually here. In just about twelve hours we would be back home. My home. But for now I had to relax. It wasn't that bad. I had already freaked out once today. I couldn't afford to do it again.

"You have no idea," Cato said with a large grin. It made me happy to see how excited he was to see his family. "Ready to meet my family?"

"Uh... Sure," I muttered.

"I promise they don't bite," he joked.

I laughed lightly and shoved him as we stepped into the main car. Brutus and Enobaria were both looking at the doors, seemingly ready to burst through them. They must have been ready to go home and get away from the Capitol for a while. Haymitch was standing and giving me a once over, probably thinking I was still hung up from my issue in the Capitol.

"If they're related to you in any way, I'm not so sure that I can trust them," I joked.

"You'll be fine. They'll love you."

"Sure they will."

"They will."

"We kind of looked a little intimate on screen. Are you sure that your mother will want to see me?" I asked him seriously.

I was a tiny bit worried about what his mother would think of me. I wasn't so sure that I would want to look Ms. Everdeen in the eyes once I got back to District 12. "You're such a woman," Cato scoffed.

Together we were pushed to the doors. "Well spotted," I snapped.

The Peacekeeper on the train stood by the controls and I watched as his hand hovered over the button to open the doors. "Come on, they won't hit you. Well... I don't think that they'll hit you. You did try to kill me though," he said.

I laughed again. "And who was it that started it?" I asked.

He was trying to calm my nerves and I appreciated it. "Definitely not me," he said.

I was glad that he was doing it but I was still incredibly nervous. Before now I hadn't realized how much I had liked the isolation of the Capitol. "Welcome home, kid," Enobaria told Cato as the doors slid open.

Immediately I was blinded by the light of District 2. As my eyes adjusted to the light of the sun I was pushed out into the open air. Probably by Haymitch. I could tell that Cato was holding onto me tightly as we stepped out onto a platform. What seemed like a few thousand people were out in front of the platform and they were cheering wildly. There was a sign hanging from what I assumed was their Justice Building that was welcoming Cato home. I scanned over the crowd, trying to find someone that resembled Cato, and was shocked when a small figure came dashing out at us.

"Cato! You're home!" the little girl yelled.

She ran up to Cato and I took a step back. This was his moment. I didn't need to be that close. Cato let go of my arm and I watched as he pulled the little girl into his arms and lifted her up. She was smiling wildly at him and I had a small smile on my face too. She looked just like him. Long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. It almost looked like I could have been related to her. I assumed that she was his little sister. Leah, I was pretty sure that her name was.

"Hey, bug!" Cato cried. I almost laughed. His nickname for Leah was the same that mine was for Prim. "You've gotten so big. Did you grow that much while I was gone?"

Cato hadn't ever seemed like the type to like children but he seemed extremely fond of her. Maybe it was just because she was his family though. She laughed as he tugged at her hair and slapped his hand away. "No, I learned a new trick though!" she yelled.

Cato gave her a shocked look. "You did?" he asked.

"Yeah! Can I show you later?" she asked him almost shyly.

"I would love that."

Part of me wanted to walk forward and introduce myself so I wasn't standing here dumbly but I was interrupted with a tap on the shoulder. I turned back, half expecting it to be Haymitch telling me to get on the train. But he was standing back with everyone else. Instead it was a woman that I had never seen. She looked to be just a touch older than me. She had the same blonde hair that Cato had, but her eyes were a sparkling green.

"Hello, Aspen," she said, offering her hand. I took it and gave her a weak shake.

"Hi," I said dumbly.

"You look good."

"Thanks."

"It's nice to finally meet the girl that was so famous during the Games," she said.

"Famous," I scoffed, realizing a second too late that it wasn't very polite.

"Oh, how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Carrie," she greeted.

"Aspen. Even though you knew that."

"I'm Cato's sister-in-law. I'm married -"

My mind went back to when Cato had told me about his family. We had been sitting up in the tree with the Careers camping right below us. "To his older brother," I said, putting together the family tree as well as I could.

"Yes."

"Dean, right?"

She smiled brightly at me. "That's right," she said happily. "Very good."

"Cato told me all about you guys while we were in the arena."

"We remember that night."

My skin crawled. I couldn't gauge whether or not she liked me. "I - uh - I'm sorry about anything that I did to him," I said, unsure if any of them liked me at all.

She smiled at me and shook her head. "Never apologize about anything that you did in there," she said.

Carrie seemed to be a good person. I was glad that she was someone that would be there for Cato while I wouldn't be. "Thank you," I said.

"I was very happy to see you make it out."

"I'm happy to still be alive."

"And I'm very sorry to see what happened to you while you were in there," Carrie said softly.

"It was... bad. But I'm alive. And that's what mattered. I'll slowly start forgetting about everything that happened to me and everything that I did."

"The arena makes you do things that you never thought you were capable of. Everything that you did in there was justifiable. And thank you for giving Cato a chance," she said.

"Believe it or not, he's actually the one that gave me a chance. I never wanted to give him much of one. But he wouldn't let it go," I said, making her smile.

"He isn't the monster that he made himself out to be."

"Trust me, I know."

Her words surprised me. But I knew everything that he did in the arena were things that he had been taught to do. Leah's voice pulled us back over to the brother and sister. "Why did you have to leave, Cato?" she asked him.

I saw the pain flash through his eyes. I remembered that Cato had told me that Leah was only six. She was too young to understand what the Games really were. He would have to lie to her. "I had to go on a little trip, Leah. It was just for a little while though. I'm back now," Cato said.

"Are you gonna go away again?"

"I'll have to leave a few more times but I promise that I'll always come back. Okay?"

It was obvious that she didn't understand the weight of the situation so she merely nodded at him with a smile. "Okay," she chirped.

It was moments like that when I could understand how people wanted kids. She was a sweet little girl. Her innocence was adorable. It was something that I didn't see often. Not even in District 12. No one was ever a kid back home. She turned to me and I gave her a weak smile. But it seemed good enough for her as she gave me a little wave with her tiny hand.

"Is that the girl that you were with on the television?" Leah asked her brother.

"That's her," Cato said, bringing her over to me.

"Mommy told me about her. She's pretty."

As stupid as it was I blushed. Cato sent me a fond smile that I returned. I realized that Leah had a few freckles on her cheeks making her look even younger than six. "Yes, she is. Leah, this is Aspen," Cato told her.

I gave the little girl a small wave. "Hi, Leah," I said.

"I really like her. You'll be nice to her, right?" Cato asked his little sister.

"Yeah," Leah promised.

Cato took another step towards me so that I was standing only inches from them. The little girl pulled me into a hug and I laughed. She was stronger than I had been expecting and it amused me. Perhaps she would be just as tough as her brother. But I prayed that she would never follow in his footsteps.

"Hi, Aspen," she finally said. "You like my brother?"

She had a little blush on her cheeks as she talked to me and I forced my smile wider. She was a shy little kid and my unfriendly demeanor probably wasn't helping. "Yeah, I do. He's grown on me," I said.

Cato grinned as I poked him in the ribs. Leah laughed lightly and I smiled at the little girl. Interrupting our little moment, Carrie came walking up to the two of us and I smiled as he let Leah down. The little girl went stalking off and I smiled. She was probably heading back to her parents.

"Brother! I've missed you," Carrie said to Cato.

Smiling at the sight, I took another few steps backwards so that cameras could catch his homecoming. I laughed under my breath as she pulled him into a hug. Cato looked very happy to have his sister-in-law back in his arms. The two remained wrapped together for a moment before she finally let go of him and stood back.

"You have no idea how terrifying it was watching you in the arena," she said.

"I think I might have a feeling, having been there," Cato said.

"Shut up. Don't you ever do anything like that again!" she yelled, punching him and he laughed.

"I don't plan on it."

"Oh, and you picked a good girl," she added on, shooting me a sly smile.

Deciding to play it up a little, I gave her a small wink and she laughed, pulling me into her side. "Thanks, Carrie," Cato said, watching the two of us with a small smile. "I know, I'm glad that I decided not to kill her."

"That's romantic," I growled.

Carrie smiled at me. "You're one to talk," Cato shot back.

"You tried to kill me!"

"You dropped a nest of Tracker Jackers on me."

"You shot an arrow at me."

"I missed."

"Barely."

"But I still did."

Carrie was watching the two of us with a fond smile. "You're perfect together," she said, snorting under her breath.

"We are. No matter what she thinks," Cato said, motioning over to me. "Part of me would have missed that little nagging voice in the back of my head. Maybe she can take over your spot now?"

I barked out a loud laugh as Carrie slapped him over the back of his head. "Thank you," I told Carrie.

"No problem. Welcome to the family. We've got your back," Carrie said brightly.

I smiled softly. "Ow," Cato grunted.

Cato was rubbing the back of his head and I gave Carrie a small high five. "You deserved that you know," a deep voice called.

All three of us turned around. The crowd were all talking between themselves, smiling and laughing at our antics up on the stage. I was pretty sure that they couldn't hear us but I knew that they liked watching. I assumed that they were all rather fond of Cato and his family. I turned farther and watched as a man a few years older than Cato stepped forward. Unlike Cato he had dark brown hair but he still possessed the brilliant blue eyes. I knew immediately that it was Dean, Carrie's husband and Cato's older brother.

"Cato!" a loud voice called.

I glanced down as the brothers embraced each other. I hadn't even noticed at first that a little girl was planted in Dean's arms. It had to have been Marley, Cato's niece. Cato had told me that the little girl was only two and I could tell. She was tiny, with a head of dark blonde hair, mixed from her mother and father. Dean rolled his eyes at his daughter and I laughed as Cato grabbed her hands.

"Take her, I'm sure she'd rather have you right now," Dean said to his brother.

I watched as Cato teased his family member and picked up Marley. "Hey, sweetie," Cato greeted her.

"I missed you. That sounds so stupid," Dean groaned.

I smiled at them. It was easy to see how similar Cato was to Dean. "Believe it or not I missed you guys too," Cato said.

"Glad you're back though," Dean said.

"Me too."

"You acted like a real ass out there sometimes. I hope that she can keep you under control," Dean said, sending a small smile my way.

Laughing lightly at the put-out look on Cato's face I rolled my eyes. He had acted like a real asshole out there at times. I mean, how many times had he kissed me without my consent? Or threatened to kill me? Or tried to kill me? There were plenty of occasions that I could think of.

"I don't think anyone can control Cato. But I sure as hell will give it a try," I told his older brother, who gave me a small smile.

"Nice to meet you, Aspen," Dean said as he gave me his hand. I took it and gave it a small shake.

"You too, Dean."

"Thank you. For everything," he said.

"My pleasure."

I knew that he was thanking me for saving Cato, but it was nothing to thank me for. We were the reason that the other was alive. "Go say hello to Mom and Dad. They've been tearing their hair out without you," he ordered Cato.

"I've been working my way around. I'll be right back," Cato told me.

"Take your time. Say hello," I said.

Cato handed Marley back over to Dean and walked off. "This is my daughter, Marley," Dean said. I nodded. I had known that but I didn't think that I should say anything. "You know, you don't have to be nervous around us."

"I guess I just remember how Cato reacted to me when we first met."

"That's a story I'd love to hear," Dean said.

"Would you believe he threatened to kill me when I was getting my legs waxed?" I asked.

Dean and Carrie howled with laughter. "I think I would definitely believe that," Carrie said.

"Just relax, Aspen. We all know what you did in there was to protect yourself and your family. Come say hello to everyone else," Dean said, grabbing me with his free hand and pulling me to his family.

Just as I walked up I saw a younger boy, probably about ten, punching Cato roughly in the arm. I assumed that it was Aiden. Cato's little brother. He looked exactly like Cato. He was just a younger version. It made me smile. Cato must have been his role model growing up.

"Man, you're so gross!" Aidan shouted.

"Thanks, Aidan. I missed you too," Cato said.

"What the hell was that scene in the cave about? I don't understand what you were doing with her," he said.

Despite my embarrassment I barked out a laugh. He sounded just like a little kid. "We were sad and tired," Cato defended weakly. Aidan looked over at me and gave me a once over. His eyes locked onto me and I laughed when Cato forced his brother to look back at him. "She's taken. Find your own."

"She could do better," Aidan said, looking at his brother.

That time both Carrie and I snorted. "Thank you, Aidan," Cato said irritably.

"I mean, yeah, she's hot. Just look at her."

"You'll have to get used to Aidan," Carrie said.

"But isn't there something else that you should have been doing instead of go -" he began.

My eyes widened at his words but he was stopped by who I assumed was Cato's mother. "Aiden!" she yelled.

Aidan backed off with fear in his eyes. I laughed as Alana walked forward and stepped in between Aiden and me. "Sorry, Mom," Aidan muttered.

She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, like most of the other Hadley's. "Watch your language. I doubt that she wants to hear anything about the Games. I doubt that either one of them do. Hello, Aspen," she said, pulling me into a hug. I smiled back at her and wrapped my arms lightly around her. "It's so nice to finally meet you. My son usually has eyes for the girls just like him. It's nice to see someone a little calmer. And with such a humbling background."

I wouldn't have called my background humble but I was grateful that she hadn't called it pathetic. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you all too," I said, as I looked around his family. "And you can call me poor. Honestly, it doesn't bother me."

"Well now you can sleep in your piles of money," Dean said.

"Money means nothing to me. The only thing that mattered to me was that Prim was safe from the Games. I'd do it a thousand times over for her. With or without the money," I snapped, a little angrier than I'd meant to.

"You did very well. Your sister will have someone to be proud of," Alana said fondly.

"Prim isn't really my sister," I muttered awkwardly.

"Looking at the two of you... She's your family," Alana said, making me smile.

"Yes. I suppose she is. Cato told me so much about you all during the Games. I know that he only wanted you all to be proud of him," I told his mother, glad that she wasn't upset with me.

She gave me a wide smile and pulled me a little closer to the rest of her family. I noticed that Cato was standing off to the side to watch me interact with his family. "We would have been proud of him no matter what had happened in that arena. But there was only one thing that we wanted. For him to come back. But we knew that for him to come back happy, he would need you. I'm glad that you made it back with him," she said.

"I'm glad to be back too."

"You look wonderful," Alana said.

"Thank you. I'll have to put some weight back on. So will Cato," I said.

"Thanks to you blowing up my food," Cato grumbled.

"Should we talk about how you cornered me in the tree?" I asked.

"I had a plan."

"Perhaps you should tell me the plan next time," I snapped.

Carrie and Dean were smiling at the two of us. "She makes a very valid point, Cato. How was she supposed to know?" Carrie asked.

Stepping in to save Cato from an awkward conversation, Alana walked over and grabbed my hand. "I'm sorry about your District partner," she said.

My eyes widened and I would have choked on something had I been eating something. No one had said anything even remotely close to a sorry about the fact that I had lost Peeta. It meant everything to me that she had actually said something.

"You're the first person to say that to me," I told her. She gave me a small smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. The two of you were friends, weren't you?" Alana asked.

"Of sorts. That means the world to me. I loved him and I'll miss him more than anything. I can't imagine what it will be like to walk past the bakery every day," I told her honestly.

"I'm sure that you'll find a way to live without him," a deep voice called.

Everyone turned towards the new voice. I looked over Alana's shoulder. Behind her was an older man that was clearly Cato's father. He looked exactly like Dean with dark hair and blue eyes. My eyes narrowed at his words and I raised my eyebrow at him. Perhaps he was who had given Cato his attitude.

"Dad," Cato warned.

"Relax. I'd just like to speak to your girlfriend," Damien said.

Gently I placed my hand on Cato's shoulder and pushed him back. "It's fine," I muttered.

"You seem resourceful," Damien said.

"I am."

"You were quite clever in the arena. I'd argue that you may have been the best survivalist in the Games."

"I would agree."

Damien knew that he wasn't getting to me. "Perhaps I might suggest a new way to walk through your District," Damien said.

"Perhaps after I tell them that I'm sorry for their son," I growled.

"It's nice to finally meet the girl who my son found himself taken with," Damien finally changed the subject, sensing my hesitance at talking about Peeta. "Thank you for saving him. I might be hard on him, but I don't know what I would have done if I had lost one of my kids."

Slowly I nodded at Damien, feeling a little overwhelmed. At least Cato's father was somewhat human. I wondered if he was where Cato had gotten a lot of his Career personality quirks from. He wasn't the nicest person in the world. I felt my head begin to spin as I grabbed Damien's hand and shook it. This was too much for one day. I was just ready to say goodbye to Cato and go home.

"You're welcome. Honestly, I don't know why I saved him at the beginning of the Games," I admitted, realizing that I had caught the attention of the rest of the family. "I thought about letting him die but I couldn't. I thought that I made a mistake for a long time. But now I'm glad that I did save him."

Two girls that looked to be about our age made their way up on stage and I recognized them immediately. They were the two girls from the locket he had worn. It was Skye and Julie. "We're glad that you made that decision as well," Damien said, bringing my attention back to the family in front of me.

"Trust me. We're very glad," Alana said.

"We're just sorry we have to keep him here," Carrie said.

"He wouldn't like District 12," I said.

"Why's that?" Cato asked.

"You're kind of prissy," I said.

The family was silent before they - including Damien - howled with laughter. "I am not!" Cato shouted.

"Yes you are. Remember that day in the arena where you were basically my servant? Doing whatever I told you to do? You don't know how to walk mud-lined streets, hunt, skin animals, or live on hardly anything. You wouldn't be able to keep down our winter special either," I said.

"And what's what?" Cato asked.

"Oh. It's mice meat, pig entrails, and tree bark," I said. "It's a delicacy."

To my complete pleasure, every single one of the Hadley family looked sick. "Do me a favor? During the Victory Tour, don't bring me to eat that," Cato said.

I laughed. "Deal."

The chattering from the back of the stage got a little louder and I turned back. The two girls were almost up on the stage. Cato backed away from me and the Hadley family moved to let me walk up to the three friends. They were all standing together and I watched them from a slight distance. I didn't want to get too close and interrupt their moment together. I wasn't even sure if they wanted to see me.

"You're such an asshole you know!" Skye yelled, as she gave him a good slap. I laughed as she pulled him into a hug afterwards.

"So I've heard," Cato said, giving me a pointed look.

"We love you but I can't believe what you said. That you would never touch either one of us or think of us like that? You lovable idiot," she growled.

It was extremely unsurprising that they had remembered that and I remembered what I had told them on camera. I had told them that if he made it back to them, to kill him for what he had said. "Well it was honest," Cato said, snorting at her.

"I hope you know that you had us scared to death!" Julie yelled.

I smiled, they clearly cared about him. "I figured," Cato said carelessly.

"I thought you were going to die. More than once too!"

"You'd wonder how I felt?"

"You don't think about what you're doing. One of these days you're going to get yourself screwed up a damn creek with no one to save you," she snapped.

He smiled at the two girls and I shook my head as his usual smirk rose to his face. "I think I've already done that to myself, Julie. I've missed your incessant nagging at me. And, yes, I know that I nearly died. But I had someone to save me," he said, shooting me a small smile over her shoulder.

"Since when did you rely on someone else?" Dean asked.

"Since I found someone smarter," Cato said, looking back at me. "Also, Skye, you know that I would never do anything to either of you. I love you both but that might as well be like incest."

Cato gave her a little shudder and I rolled my eyes. It was so typical of Cato to try and say something nice and then end up being an asshole. I wouldn't have been shocked if either one of them had punched him. Skye turned back to me and I gave the girl a weak smile as she walked up to me.

"It's so nice to meet you!" she squeaked, before pulling me into a hug.

I tensed at her sudden touch but gave her a light hug back. "You too. I'm Aspen," I greeted.

Skye laughed. "Yes, I knew that. Thank you for helping Cato. I know he can be an asshole sometimes but he really is a good guy. Everything that you saw in the Capitol was a front, "she said.

That was nothing that I didn't know. I didn't want to be rude to her but I knew everything about the way that he had acted during the Games. It was the same way that we all had acted. Fake. "I know that. I saw him at times when even the cameras weren't on us," I said.

She raised an eyebrow. I would tell her one day, but this was the wrong time. "Did you now?" she asked.

"There are lots of moments when there are no cameras. That's not important. I know that he has a real heart under that hard-ass exterior."

"We're glad that you know that."

"Oh, and don't take what he said in the arena personal. He said some pretty horrible things to me before the Games even started." I noticed Skye give Cato a sharp glare. "I hated him and I wanted him to die, but I'm glad that he's here now," I told her with a small smile.

"What did he say?" Skye asked.

"Honestly it's not that important. We're long past that and I'd like to not remember those days," I said.

Skye smiled and nodded at me. "I understand that," she said. "Congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you. I'm not thrilled at how I won or what I did, but I'm happy to be going home."

"Your friends will be happy," Skye said.

"I certainly hope so. Both Cato and I are glad to be home."

Julie walked up to us and I gave her a tiny smile. "We're glad that he's here now too. It's nice to finally meet the girl that Cato might actually stick with," Julie said.

Her words didn't quite sit right with me. "Uh... thanks," I muttered awkwardly.

"Usually he runs through them pretty fast," Julie said with a scoff.

My eyebrows knitted at her words and I had to ball my hands together and bite my tongue. I would have loved to scream at her but that wouldn't look good for me. This wasn't my home. I had to get my act together and remind myself to be nice to everyone here. I understood that she was protecting her friend but she could have gone about it differently.

"Julie!" Skye shouted. I turned to the other girl.

"What?" Julie asked.

"Come on, the poor girl just got back from the Games. Be nice," Skye hissed at her friend.

Briefly I darted my eyes back to Cato and I realized that he was watching us with a tense stare. Obviously he had been expecting that this wouldn't go over very well. He probably thought that they would hate me. Maybe they did. They couldn't really say it, even if they did. Cato seemed like he was about to jump into the conversation but I shook my head at him. I wanted to try and be friends with Julie. She shook her head at me and sighed.

"Sorry about that," Julie said.

"It's okay."

"I just know that every girl that Cato has brought around to us has only wanted the same thing. They wanted to watch him go into the Games and they wanted him to win. They got the money and fame from him winning," Julie explained.

Everything that she was saying made perfect sense to me. She wanted to protect her friend and that was noble. I understood why she had said what she had. It was the same type of thing that I would have said to someone had Katniss come back with some guy. It was the way that friends acted when they protected each other.

"I would give anything to give up all of the fame that I got from the Games," I said.

"Really?" Julie asked.

"Yes. I would love to be home with my family. The one that I have left."

"The Everdeen women," Julie stated.

"Yes. You know that I don't want that from Cato. I have the fame. I'm a Victor too. And now I have all of the money that I could ever need. I wish that I didn't have any of it," I said.

"You'd rather be poor?" Julie asked.

"If it meant that I didn't have to live with everything that I did out there, I would gladly be dirt poor again. Nothing good comes from being in the Games. The only good thing that came out of this was him," I told her.

For the first time since she had talked to me a smile graced her face. "I'm glad to hear you say that," she said.

Cato pushed past her and the three of our heads whipped towards him. He had been speaking with his family happily but now I saw that a worried look was on his face. Right as I was about to ask him what he was staring at, he walked up to me and grabbed my arm and pulled me into him. We all turned to see what he was suddenly so panicked about. Julie and Skye were watching us with close eyes, clearly concerned at their friend's sudden demeanor change.

"Hey, Clove's family is here," Cato said.

My heart stopped. They were here and I would have to speak with them. "What?" I asked weakly.

I didn't want to speak with them. I was perfectly content speaking with Cato's family and friends. "Give them your condolences," Cato said.

"Can't I do that on the Victory Tour?" I asked.

"No. Do it now. It's being respectful. After you say goodbye to them you have to leave. Keep yourself on schedule to get back home. I know you don't want to be here. This isn't your home," he said with a sad smile.

I shook my head and grabbed the side of his face. He smiled at me and grabbed one of my hands, warming my heart. This was the person that Cato really was and he was perfect. "But something that's here is," I said.

He grinned at me as I placed a hand on his chest. There were a number of people that were shouting happily at the sight of the two of us. I smiled softly at him as he leaned down and gave me a small kiss. There were a number of shouts from his family. I blushed as Cato pulled me into his chest. I noticed that it was particularly Alana and Carrie who were smiling. Cato pulled back from me and released my hand but I grabbed it and pulled him back to me.

"Come with me, please. I don't want to face them by myself," I begged him nervously.

It was obvious that he didn't want to make me face them but I knew that I would have to meet them by myself. No matter how uncomfortable it made me. "I can't. I've already said that I was sorry for her death," he said.

It must have been while I was talking to Julie and Skye. "You suck," I groaned.

"I'm sorry. I have my family to focus on. Plus it will make you look bad if I go with you and if you keep them waiting. Go, Aspen. I'll be waiting right here," he said.

Weakly I nodded at him and made my way over to where an angry looking family stood. It was obvious enough that they were related to Clove. I was shocked that they weren't crying or at least a little teary. They just looked angry. Obviously with me. They all had the same dark hair and eyes that Clove had, not to mention that they had the same harsh glare. She was practically a mirror image of her family. It seemed like she had a mother and father as well as an older sister.

"Hi. I don't really know what to say," I said to them, gaining no reaction. I sighed deeply and chose my words carefully. "I could say I'm sorry until the world ends but it wouldn't make any difference. Your daughter is gone but it wasn't me that killed her. She attacked me and I had nothing else that I could do. I tried to fight her but it was no use. She had me pinned and she made fun of a little girl that was killed. So Thresh killed her. I'm not sorry that she's gone. She tried to take my damn head off. But I am sorry that you lost a daughter."

My apology wasn't really even an apology but it was better than nothing. I had really tried to make it genuine at first but it hadn't really worked out like that. Like I had said, Clove had tried to kill me, I wasn't sorry that she was dead. Just the way that I hadn't been sorry when Cato had first seen that she was dead. But I was sorry that they had lost a member of their family. The woman who I assumed to be Clove's mother scoffed and stood closer to her husband.

"Your apology is not accepted," she growled at me.

"I didn't think that you would," I said honestly, nodding my head.

"Do you know what it is like for a mother to lose her daughter? Especially to something that she trained so hard for. She lost to someone that didn't deserve to win," she said.

The anger was rising in my chest. How could she think that I had ever even wanted to be here? All I had ever wanted was to ensure that Katniss, Gale, and Prim were safe. But I had put them in more danger with everything that I had done in the Capitol than they had ever been in.

"Now imagine what it would be like to never know your parents. To know that they died to these Games. Think about how hard you would have fought to make it back home. There might not be a mother and father waiting for me back in District 12 but I still have a family. I deserved to make it home just as much as Clove did," I hissed at her family, hoping that they would see my side.

But they were just as Career-minded as Clove had been. Her father stepped up to me and I felt my breath quicken. "No you didn't," he said.

I glared at him. I needed to get out of here soon. "Why's that?" I asked.

"Because you were weak. He saved your life," her father told me.

"No one makes it through the Games without help. Maybe she should have learned not to make fun of a little girl," I sneered.

"You knew that the little girl would die."

"You're just as miserable as she was."

They didn't appreciate that. My stomach was roiling around painfully. They were making me nervous and I could feel the panic beginning to set in. Deciding that it was better that I backed away now before I did something that I would regret I took a deep breath and nodded at her family. They were clearly angry and I didn't blame them. It was hard to lose a family member. That much I knew. But it was harder to never know one. I took one more deep sigh and gave her parents a small wave.

"Sorry that you lost your daughter," I said. Just before I turned I heard her mother scoff. "I'll just take my leave now, I think."

That was definitely the best way to do it. "You won't even apologize for what you did?" her sister scoffed.

Honestly I should have expected her sister to say something like that. It made total sense. If someone had killed Katniss and they had come to District 12 I would have said something like that. But I still fought to stay planted in my place. She wasn't understanding that what I had done, I had been forced to do. I would have loved to let every one of those kids live but that wasn't the way that this world worked. Innocent kids died every year. They always would.

"You didn't even kill her. That asshole had to come and kill her for you," she continued.

My face lit up. She would regret calling Thresh that. "Do not insult Thresh in front of me," I sneered.

"Why not? Your boyfriend killed him, you know. He saved your life and you didn't even help him in the end. You couldn't do anything. Because you were too weak!"

"I am not weak," I said, thinking about Seneca Crane's kiss from this morning.

"I'm glad that he's dead. He deserved it. I just wish that you were dead too," she continued, the crowd hushing as her words got louder.

"Get in line," I said.

"Or maybe the little girl. Your friend's sister. None of you would be a loss to the world," she snapped.

White hot rage went flashing through me and my next movements were uncontrollable. Without warning, I flung myself onto Clove's sister and knocked her to the platform ground. "Fuck you!" I screamed.

Everyone should have expected for something like that to happen. And I wasn't planning on stopping at any point soon. The cameras were flashing and the crowd was screaming but I wasn't planning on stopping at any second. I wanted to keep this going for as long as possible. The girl grunted as I punched her hard in the face. I felt her nose crack under my fist but I didn't stop. She was probably my age - just a touch older than Clove - but clearly Clove was the better fighter.

"Your sister was no loss to the world. She was cold and she was cruel. She was a terrible person that only knew how to fight. That was all that she was good for. And apparently she wasn't even good at that," I hissed.

She grunted as I took a knee and jammed it into his windpipe. Clearly she was having a hard time breathing as her face was starting to turn red. I finally stopped my attack on her and looked down at her face. Blood was running down her face and her eyes were both swollen shut. I swallowed the lump that had risen in my throat and stared down at the girl. But as I went to get off of her she swung at me again. It wasn't close enough to hit me. Rage rising in me, I punched her again and watched as more blood began to fall from her nose.

"Oh, get Aspen!" Carrie yelled in the background, over the shouts of the crowd.

But there was no way that I was letting her get away with it. Not after insulting Thresh and Prim. One was dead and the other was my family member. She had no right to say anything like that. As I pulled Clove's sisters hair so that her head lifted off of the ground I gave the girl a maniacal grin. All I was doing was picturing Seneca Crane's face over place of hers. She stared at me with the little sight that she had left and I could see her swollen lip tremble.

"No, damn it, let her beat the hell out of Dara," Skye called back to Carrie. So Dara was her name. An ugly name for an ugly girl.

"She deserves it," Julie added on.

"Go, Aspen!" Aidan cheered, laughing.

The crowd had gone silent but it didn't stop me from curling my hands around Dara's hair. I pulled harder and harder on her hair, smirking as piece by piece it was pulled out. "Get the hell off of each other," Cato growled, before I was lifted off of the girl.

"No!" I barked, trying to get back to her.

"Stop. Now," Cato hissed at me. I gulped when he shoved me back behind him and towered over the other girl. "Dara, you stay away from her. Clove was my friend and she's dead now. Get over it. She wasn't the best Tribute." Cato motioned back to me and I swallowed hard. "If you ever lay a hand on her again, I'll kill you. And now you know that I'm not kidding."

His demeanor reminded me of the ruthless fighter that I had met in the Capitol and part of it reassured me. At least I knew that I hadn't changed him that much. Now that I was no longer on Dara I realized that I was shaking. I wasn't quite sure what it was from but I knee that my nerves were frayed. Dara weakly stood up and I watched as her family grabbed her and pulled her off of the stage. Everyone in the crowd was silent as Cato wrapped an arm around me and I gulped. What the hell had I done? I noticed that Cato's grip was tighter than normal.

"Alright kids, I think it's time to get a move on," Haymitch said, interrupting the silence.

"Probably a good idea," I muttered.

"We've caused enough of a disturbance in these people's day. Aspen, I think it's time that we got you on your way back to District 12. Say goodbye," Haymitch told me.

"Okay," I said, knowing not to say anything with the warning look in his eyes.

Cato pulled me over to where his family and friends stood, all waiting for me with sympathetic looks in their eyes. I was glad that they at least didn't look afraid of me or like they hated me. Cato's father and brother's both looked impressed with me as did Skye and Julie. I assumed they might have finally realized that I wasn't the weak little Tribute from District 12 that they thought that I was. Alana and Carrie both looked like they wanted to cry for me. They knew the toll that the Games had taken.

"Damn, those were some good hits," Julie said as she walked over to me and I laughed, giving the girl a small hug. Maybe we would be friends after all.

"Thank you," I said.

"I can see why he likes you so much. I'm sorry for acting the way that I did earlier. You're good for him but I'm not one to admit that," she said.

"I understand. It was good to meet you, Julie," I said.

"Surprisingly enough, it was good to meet you too."

Her answer made me snort. I turned away from her and was met face to face with Carrie. She gave me a small hug. She was a good person and I was sure that she was a good mother. "It was really good to meet you, Aspen," Carrie said.

"You too, Carrie. Take care of him, please?" I asked, looking over at Cato.

"Absolutely. Take care of yourself," Carrie said.

"I will."

"And have a safe trip back home, Aspen. Don't worry about Dara. She deserved to get knocked on her ass," Carrie told me.

I laughed. "She looked a little big headed," I said.

"She always thought she was Clove, but there was one difference. Clove could actually fight," Carrie told me with a wink.

"Yes. I do recall that," I said softly.

Carrie looked like she might have said sorry but I shook my head. Briefly I said goodbye to the rest of the Hadley family and I gave Skye a quick goodbye. They seemed rather happy with me. Damien had given me a short hug and had seemed rather happy with me. He had at least said that he was happy that his son had found himself a good girl. Alana had given me a long hug and kisses on each cheek. She had even made a brief comment that we would see each other soon and she would be happy to have me in her home. Dean had offered to show me all of Cato's baby pictures, an offer that I had been happy to accept.

Aidan hadn't seemed thrilled to say goodbye but he had said that I just needed to write to him if I wanted him to beat Cato up. It made me smile. Leah and Marley had both given me hugs and Leah had made me promise that I would come back and play with her sometime. Skye had made mention that we would chat more the next time I was around. Even Brutus gave me a pat on the back as I left the platform edge, complementing me on the hits. Enobaria joined him and I bade her a small goodbye before turning back to the train. Effie had already reembarked the train and Haymitch was waiting for me at the doors.

"Hey, you alright?" Cato asked me.

I turned back to him with a small smile. He brought me closer to him and I smacked him roughly in the shoulder. He cocked an eyebrow and I grinned at him. "That's the second time that you've asked me that. Don't tell me that you're getting all soft on me," I said.

He laughed loudly. "Not a chance in hell," he said.

"I think I'd actually miss the old Cato. He was fun to mess with," I told him with a small wink.

In a typical Cato fashion he pushed out the back of my knee and caught me right before I fell. I could hear everyone around us laugh as I reached up to slap him. "Well I can offer to kill you if that would make things better," he said.

I smiled at him. That was the awful Cato that I had stupidly fallen in love with. He pushed me back up and the two of us stared at each other for a moment. "You know what, I might actually like that," I said.

"I'll be more than happy to threaten you."

"I'll be more than happy to shoot you."

Cato smiled and pulled me against his chest. "I'll see you soon, alright?" Cato asked.

"Soon enough."

"What do we have, five months until we see each other again?"

There was a very sickening feeling that hit me at the thought of what was going to happen the next time that we saw each other. The breath left my throat as I thought about what would happen when we did get around to the Victory Tour. I knew that there was no way that I was going to be able to get out it. I would get to be with him for a few hours in the Capitol but then I would be delivered to Seneca Crane. Shuddering slightly I shook my head and smiled at Cato. We weren't there yet. I could ignore it for now.

"For the Victory Tour. Where we have to say that we're sorry that everyone's kids are dead but we needed to do it," I groaned.

"We have to do it. It'll be okay."

"We saw how well my apology just worked out. How many people do you think that I'll fight on that tour?" I asked him sadly.

"I'm gonna go with four," he said with a dead serious look.

The two of us stared at each other for a moment, neither one of us smiling or betraying any hint of emotion. Finally though he smiled at me and began to laugh. I rolled my eyes at him and slapped his chest. Some part of me had always thought that he was funny. Although the slap had done pretty much nothing other than sting my hand. He was like hitting a damn brick wall and he knew it. He began to laugh even louder and I grunted at him.

"Shut up. You know I'll actually miss your dumb ass," I said truthfully.

He was a pain in the ass but there would be some part of me that would really miss the annoying Victor. I genuinely was in love with him. I had a feeling that I always would be. There was just something about Cato. He had ways of getting me to talk or getting under my skin that no one else had ever been able to do. But he also gave me the butterflies and made me happier than anyone else had ever known how to do. Being with him was something totally new and exciting.

"You know, I'll actually miss you too," he said.

We had sure come a long way in just a few short weeks. "Oh, I'm honored," I snapped.

"Maybe just as much as I'll miss that cave."

And maybe not. His smirk was back on his face. I rolled my eyes at him and thought back to the overconfident Tribute that I had met only three weeks prior. I still saw the attractive, confident, young man but there was something different about him now. He seemed older and wiser. He wasn't as quick to act and he was more careful about what he said. He seemed like the type of person who had seen too much. He was the type of person that I had always thought that he could be.

"Watch it on the damn re-runs."

"I intend to," Cato said, smirking.

"You're such an ass."

"So I've heard."

"Why do I love you?" I asked with the roll of my eyes.

He grabbed me by the waist and I struggled against him for a moment. But we both knew that I wasn't serious about trying to get away from him. He smirked and pulled me close to him, ruffling my hair. "I love you too, sweetheart," Cato teased.

For a moment I really didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay here. I never wanted to leave Cato's side. But there were other places that I needed to be. Pushing my hair back in place, I forced him to let go of me and I took a step back. It was almost hard for me to back away. I could tell that he was having a hard time too. He had a fond look on his face as he watched me and I smiled at him. I couldn't believe that I had fallen for him but I had. And now I had to leave him. But at least while I was gone from him I would be back with my family. It was the one thing that made leaving him okay.

"I guess I should let you be with your family now," I said.

"It's time," Cato said sadly.

"Besides I have somewhere that I need to be," I said, looking off of the platform and away towards where District 12 lay in wait.

He smiled at me as I turned back to him and I knew that he knew all that I wanted was to go home. "Go home, Aspen," he said, giving me a small kiss on the forehead.

"I'll be back," I said.

"I know. I'll see you soon. Be with your family and write to me."

"Of course."

I would be sure to write to both Cato and Finnick while I was back in District 12. "It might help me," Cato said.

"What do you mean?"

"It's been forever since I've actually had to write something."

"How unsurprising," I said.

It was so typical that the Academy would teach them everything to do with keeping them alive during a fight but nothing with real life skills. How to read and write and communicate verbally with others. "I love you, Aspen," Cato said.

"I love you too, Cato," I told him. The smirk on his face turn into a real smile. "I'm glad that you're back with your family. Home is where the heart is."

His smile faded slightly but I still saw it in his eyes. He grabbed my hands and pulled me a little closer to him and I smiled. "But a piece of it isn't here," he told me softly.

Despite the slightly cool air where we were I felt my heart warm. His lips met mine and I smiled into the kiss, attempting to black out the roars of the crowd and the shouts of disgust from Aiden. The two of us stayed together for a long time as Cato deepened the kiss. It was embarrassing that his family was watching but I couldn't bring myself to leave yet. An unfamiliar voice roared up through a microphone and I pulled away from Cato. Haymitch grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Cato. Both of us kept our hands together as long as we could but finally the distance was too much and our hands fell apart.

Cato gave me a small wave and I returned it as I was forced to stand at the doors to the train. "District 2! Let's give one final hand for the newest Victors! Aspen Antaeus and Cato Hadley!" the mayor of District 2 yelled. The crowds roared once more and I gave the Hadley family one last wave. "We're glad to have you home Cato! And, Aspen, we will see you in a few months!"

"Goodbye!" I yelled.

"Bye, Aspen!" the entire Hadley clan shouted.

And that was it. I was pushed back into the train and the doors were sealed behind me. I stayed at them as long as possible, like I had done when it was time for me to leave District 12 almost a month ago. The crowd continued to yell as the train slid out of the station and I bid a silent goodbye to Cato. I would see him soon. With a small sigh I took a seat on the orange couch and kicked my feet onto the table. There was nothing more that I needed to hear and with a ride long ride to District 12 I might as well sleep. It would be overnight but I wasn't really sure that I wanted to sleep alone in my bedroom.

"Well that was nice and entertaining. Thank you for the show, Aspen," Haymitch said.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm very glad that you liked it," I said.

"When I said to be charming that wasn't really what I had in mind. Although it is is District 2. Maybe they like that kind of stuff," he said with the shrug of his shoulders.

He took a seat next to me and I kicked his legs off of the table. He laughed and I rolled my eyes. I wasn't really sure if Haymitch was like a father to me or an annoying older brother. "Can it, Haymitch," I said. He looked over at me. "She shouldn't have come after me. I would think that trying to attack a new Victor probably would have been a bad idea."

"It is a bad idea. But she was angry."

"So am I. Whatever, I don't care. Let's just get home," I said.

Haymitch nodded at me, shutting his eyes. "Finally, something that I can get on board with," he said.

The two of us settled back into the couch. I was exhausted and I wanted nothing more than to sleep for a month. Maybe when I got back home that's what I would do. But it would be very hard for me to sleep that long. I knew that sleep would start evading me soon. Sleeping with Cato was helpful but now he was gone. I would have to learn to get over it. I shut my eyes and gave in to the yawn that had been threatening to escape my mouth for hours. As I settled back into the chair I let sleep overtake me as my thoughts drifted back to the forests and people that awaited me back home.

They ended up not even waking me up throughout the night. Instead someone draped a blanket over me and let me sleep when we stopped to refuel. I thought about getting out but I decided to just go back to sleep. I curled up against the couch and drifted in and out of sleep, not really getting any good sleep. The only time that I was really awake was to stuff myself with lamb stew for dinner before passing out on an empty stomach. The next morning I was finally awoken. I sat bolt upright when a hand laid itself on my shoulder and I was met with Effie's startled face.

She backed off slightly and gave me a wide smile that I fought to return. At least I hadn't slapped her. "Aspen, dear, it's time to wake up. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said.

"That's alright."

"I just thought you might want an update on where we are," she said. I straightened in the couch. "Welcome home, Aspen. We're pulling into the station now. Your family is on the platform."

Nearly bowling her over in the process I jumped up from the couch and dashed over to the doors. "Open the doors, open the doors," I muttered excitedly.

It looked like Effie might have wanted to tell me to get changed but I would have ignored her. I didn't care. I just wanted to see my family and get home. I wanted to be home. I wanted to see Katniss, Prim, Mr. Everdeen, and Gale. I felt the train slowing down and I could hear the screams of District 12 outside. It had been a long time since a Victor had come home to them. Now we had another one and the District would actually have food for the next year. Not enough but more than we normally had. I knew that I was bouncing and I probably looked rather silly.

"Calm down, girl. They ain't gonna open just because you're excited," Haymitch told me.

I laughed lightly. "I just want them to open," I said impatiently.

"We all want this to be over. It's been a long almost four weeks. I just want to drown myself in my drinks."

"Shocking."

"Oh, before we get off," Haymitch said and I turned back to him. "Whenever you need someone, I'm here. You need someone to come talk to and figure things out with, my door is always open," he said.

I smiled at him. In the time that I had known Haymitch, that was probably the nicest thing that he had ever said to me. I grabbed him around the torso and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you, Haymitch. I honestly couldn't have done this without you," I told him.

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

Before turning back to the doors I glanced back at Effie and gave her a little smile. "And, Effie, I'm sorry for not behaving like I should have and causing so many problems. I know that we didn't always get along but thank you. You believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself," I told her.

Even through all of her makeup I saw the small glisten of tears in the corners of her eyes. She teetered up to me and I groaned when she pulled me in for a bone crushing hug. Damn. She was stronger than I thought she would be. She was stronger than most of my friends. Maybe it was because she'd always had enough to eat.

"Oh! I will miss you, dear," Effie said, pulling away from me, the tears now closer to falling than they had before. "Now, go! Be with your family and head on out before I cry. This makeup isn't waterproof. I can't believe that I didn't wear waterproof makeup!"

The train engine came to a stop and the doors opened. Before I exited I laughed loudly. Typical Effie. I turned and smiled as I was met with the roaring crowd. The scent of the pine and oak trees filled my nose and I smiled. Everyone was jumping around and cheering and I couldn't help but to laugh. For the first time since I'd been in the Capitol I felt truly happy and free. I was back home. And I never wanted to leave this place. The colors were so much duller here than they were in the Capitol and the people were so plain but it was perfect.

This was home. It always had been. Kids were jumping up and down and all waving to me as I waved back at them. I let my eyes scan through the crowd and I gave Madge a little smile. She blew me a little kiss and I laughed. She'd never looked so proud. Next to her was Greasy Sae who was smiling up at me like I was one of her own grandchildren. Just behind them was the Mellark's and I felt my throat tighten. They looked heartbroken but the small nod that his family gave me made my heart lift. They knew that I had tried.

"Aspen!" a loud voice called.

The voice was so piercing and so familiar that I turned away from the crowd. It sent a shiver right up my spine and made me crumble. For the first time since the Reaping I felt myself fall apart at the seams. Because right now, right here, I was allowed to. A little blonde girl came rushing forward and tears immediately began to fall. It was Prim. She dashed up to me and I caught her in my arms as I dropped to my knees on the platform.

"Prim!" I screamed, not bothering to hold back the tears. I had proved to them that I was tough. I had earned this. "I love you so much!"

"Aspen," Prim cried again, tears running down her face.

"It's okay. You're fine. I'm fine. I'm back. I'm never leaving you again," I told her.

I pulled back and looked into her eyes. Her blue eyes were watery but they were full of happiness. "Aspen," she repeated weakly.

She was overwhelmed. I could tell. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I'm sorry for scaring you. I'll never do that to you again, understand?" I asked her.

Through the tears Prim had barely managed to nod. The crowd had quieted a little since I had gotten off of the train so that they could hear my exchange with Prim and I heard many noises of affection at our private conversation. They loved Prim. They would be happy to see her happy again. I tightened my arms around her and crushed her against me. She cried into my shoulder and I felt it wetting the fabric of my clothes. Her arms were locked around my neck. I pushed her hair off of her face with a small smile. She was here and she was safe. And I was alive.

"I missed you so much, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed.

I pushed her off of my shoulder and forced her to look into my eyes. Her nose was a bright red and I wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Hey, it wasn't your fault. Never think that this was your fault, okay?" I asked her.

She nodded weakly. "You were hurt -"

"I'm not. I'm all better. Nothing hurt out there. Nothing. Nothing that was as bad as leaving you. I'm home, okay?"

"Don't leave," Prim begged.

"Never. I'm back here and that's all that matters. Let me go say hello to everyone else, okay?" I asked.

Prim straightened up and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. She very slowly nodded. But was there anyone else even here? I hadn't bothered to look past Prim if anyone else was on the platform. All I had been focused on was her. I had just needed to make sure that she was here. I noticed that Prim was still attached to my legs.

"You're so stupid!" a loud female voice called.

I smirked. I would know that scolding tone anywhere. It was Katniss. I turned to her and smiled lightly. "Cat," I whispered.

"Why the hell did you do that? You should have let me volunteer! Did you see how badly you were hurt?"

"Believe it or not, I did."

"And what the hell happened to killing him, huh? I can't believe you're such an idiot! You nearly died!" she shouted.

As she walked up to me I laughed. Part of me had thought that she would have the same reaction to my return as Prim but the rational part of me had known that there was a fat chance of that. She punched me in the shoulder and I saw that she was crying. My tears fell a little harder as I brought her into a hug. She let out a soft sob and relaxed when she finally managed to hug me back. She sobbed into my shoulder and I did the same to her. The crowd was back to cheering. We hardly ever showed emotion at home. This was a rare display of affection between us.

"I missed you too, Cat," I told her as I released her.

I saw that a smile had risen on her face. "You're home," she whispered.

"Told you I'd be back," I teased.

"I hate you," Katniss said, bringing me back for another hug.

"I know. You know why I did it. I wanted to make sure that you were safe. I wanted to keep Prim safe. Sue me. I'm back here safe and sound," I told her.

She rolled her eyes at me, knowing that she had no argument. "Don't you ever do that again," she warned.

"I don't intend to."

I heard heels clicking on the stage and I turned back to properly introduce Effie to my family. But to my surprise it wasn't Effie. It was Ms. Everdeen. "Welcome back, sweetheart," she told me.

"Hi, Ms. Everdeen," I said, giving her a small hug.

"I'm so glad to see you."

"Me too."

"Thank you so much for everything that you did for my girls. You're one of mine too. You know that."

"I know."

"You always have a family with us," she told me.

My heart warmed as I nodded at her. She had almost always known exactly what to say to make me feel better. She might have had a hard time since Mr. Everdeen had died but I knew that she would be okay now. Because she knew that she wasn't going to lose anything more. She had always been the mother that I had never gotten to know. But now I felt like I knew my mother better than ever. No matter how awful it was, I shared an experience with her.

"Thank you Ms. Everdeen," I told her with a small smile.

She gave me a knowing smile and shook her head. I tilted my head at her when I saw that she was looking overly fond. "You know, I think that Mom has a little nicer ring to it. And it's a lot shorter," she said.

My eyebrows shot to my forehead. Had she just told me to start calling her Mom? I had never expected that. "Really?" I asked.

"Only if you want to. I know that no one can replace your mother. But I've tried to raise you the way that she would have," she said.

My stomach twisted in knots. She was giving me a slightly guilty look, almost like she wished that she hadn't said it. Ms. Everdeen looked a little regretful. I knew enough to know that she was thinking that she had made the wrong decision to tell me to call her mother. Would I? Would my real mother have been okay with me calling her that? She would have only wanted me to be happy and if that meant with a family that wasn't really mine, she would have been just fine.

"You've done an excellent job. Mom," I added.

Her grin went wide. "We love you," she said.

"I love you all too. You know, that's a pretty big house in Victor's Village for just one person. I could use some more people to help me fill it," I said.

"Are you sure?" Ms. Everdeen asked.

"Absolutely."

"Can we?" Prim asked.

"Fight you for the room that overlooks the woods," Katniss teased.

"I'll win," I said, making all of the women laugh.

"We would love to," Ms. Everdeen said.

They all gave me another smile before stepping off to the side. My eyes went wide. He was here. "Gale!" I yelled, sprinting up to him.

"Hey, Tiger," he laughed.

It didn't stop me. I couldn't tell by his face whether or not he was happy with me. I wasn't sure that I really cared. I just knew that I was thrilled that he was here. He obviously didn't hate me that much. So I ran straight up to him and didn't slow down. Without thinking I jumped into his arms and he laughed as he caught me in them. He stumbled back a few steps but otherwise remained steady. I wrapped my legs around him and buried my face into his shoulder. He would never give me the same feelings that Cato did but I would always love him. His hands went up to my hair.

"You're here," Gale muttered.

"I'm here," I whispered.

"I knew that you'd make it back. I knew that you'd come back to me. Back to us."

He brushed my hair back and I dropped off of him with a big smile. "I'm back for good," I said happily.

"You smell weird."

"Lavender."

"And your skin is really soft." That was all courtesy of the Capitol. "There are no scars on your hands," he noted, as he turned them over.

I nodded at him and sighed. I would miss those scars but I couldn't get them back. I would just have to make new ones. "Courtesy of the Capitol. All of it," I told him.

His eyebrows knitted in anger. "They took the scars away?" he asked.

"Everything. After the arena they completely cleaned me up. Don't worry, I can get the smell back," I said.

"We can do without the smell," Gale said, making me laugh.

"I'm sure that you'll have me all bruised and banged up in no time," I joked with him.

He laughed lightly. "Just go find another black bear to fight with," he said.

"That hive was ours and it knew it," I said defiantly.

"Sure it was."

"I love you, Gale. I'm sorry for having to put you through all of this," I said.

He didn't say anything as he pulled me into a tight hug. It made my entire body quiver slightly. I had never thought that I would get a chance to hug him again. I never thought that I would get a chance to hug any of them again. It was the same type of hug that he would give me when I was a kid and had hurt myself. He gave me a small kiss on the top of my head and I smiled. This was everything that I needed. Not the money or the fame. I just needed them.

"What I went through was nothing compared to what you went through," he told me.

I nodded silently. But I didn't want to think about it. My time in the Games and the Capitol was over. It was time to forget. After a moment Gale released me and I leaned onto him slightly as the crowd cheered behind us. Prim came up between the two of us and I gave her a small smile, pulling her into the side of us. Ms. Everdeen, or my mother, came up behind us and laid her hand on our shoulders and Katniss came up to my front. She grabbed my hand and I smiled at her. Prim gently tucked herself against my waist.

"So what now, guys? Where do we go from here?" Katniss asked.

"Wherever we want," Gale said, pressing a kiss to my temple.

"Should we go home?" she asked.

We all looked over to Victor's Village. Haymitch was standing right in front of me and he turned back. He gave me a big smile and a thumbs up and I blushed. Effie was behind me, standing at the entrance to the train, giving me a huge smile, and wiping tears from her eyes. All around me were the people who I would have, and nearly did, die for. It was the most comfortable that I had been in weeks. For the first time in weeks I was truly safe. I was in my element and I would stay here. Even though Cato wasn't here, this was where I belonged. I turned back around to face Katniss and I gave her hand a tight squeeze.

"I am home," I said, with the biggest smile on my face any of them had ever seen.


End file.
